Nebulous Charisma
by Bandicoot Sauce
Summary: No longer Sinnoh's beloved Champion, Lucas now works for the allegedly reformed Team Galactic to make ends meet, all the while worried that he might meet HIS end at the hands of his boss, whom there is more to than meets the eye...
1. Spaced Out

**Nebulous Charisma**

Chapter 1

"Lucas? Luke. Hey!"

"Huh?" Lucas looked up as the Team Galactic employee clicked her fingers in front of the distracted young man's face. He stared somewhat blankly at the azure-haired young woman as she folded her arms, her face locked in that disciplined scowl that most - if not all - of the workers at the Galactic Veilstone Building typically wore. That scowl, coupled with the eerily sterile grey and black uniform the young woman wore, made her seem kind of scary, especially up close like this. To this day, Lucas wasn't sure if that was intentional or not. Given who had originally founded this organisation in the first place, he honestly wouldn't be surprised if the grunts presenting themselves as unnerving had indeed been a part of Cyrus' vision when first piecing the idea of Team Galactic together on paper.

Team Galactic had come a long way from being a criminal organisation bent on achieving the goals of one deeply troubled man. Now operating under Commander Saturn, the organisation was now putting its pursuits in the field of energy research towards the good of Sinnoh's future rather than a means of opening inter-dimensional portals and messing with the balance of the universe. Of course, much like Lucas with his once profitable Pokémon egg farming scheme (which had led him to be stripped of his title of Sinnoh League Champion), the police had Team Galactic under watchful eyes, just waiting for them to step out of line again so that the long arm of the law could quickly apply a tight strangle hold to suppress any sort of new uprising of organised criminal activity.

Perhaps it was fitting that Lucas was now a part of something he'd once helped to take down, given his own less than clean record…

"You were staring into space again," the female grunt told him, her tone as curt and cold as her appearance, her by-the-numbers bowl cut that many Team Galactic employees bore seeming to shimmer with an almost metallic sheen, as though she used some sort of clear polish as an alternative to shampoo. That haircut was so carefully shaped to such an exact style and length, not a single hair out of place. Like everything else about the appearance and determinedly professional behaviour of the grunts, it gave the impression of perfection. A static, robotic idea of perfection that suggested obedience. Unwavering compliance. A complete and total submission to the control and influence of a higher power. Only the woman's blue eyes, showing that unmistakable glint of life in spite of her otherwise completely stoic demeanour, gave any indication that she was even human and not a cold, emotionless machine. Lucas was glad that such haircuts were not mandatory for Team Galactic employees anymore, the rule having disappeared along with Cyrus.

Of course, many of the employees had grown so used to keeping their hair in check so as to meet Cyrus' approval prior to his disappearance, that they had resigned themselves to the habit of reporting to the company barber for their regular reshaping and colour touch-up. Some employees had even taken to accommodating for their work hairstyles, choosing to pick out and wear clothes that matched their 'do when off-duty. Lucas, on his part, had shaved his hair down to a short, neat, presentable look, but it was still its natural semi-dark grey, with its partial spikiness still showcasing the boyish, adventurous nature he had at heart… repressed as it was these days. Granted, he __did__ follow the example of his co-workers and wear the Galactic uniform when on the job, but even after working for Team Galactic for several months, there were times when he felt like a real Magikarp out of water around here...

"R-right. Sorry," Lucas mumbled awkwardly, running a hand along the back of his head sheepishly. He wished the grunt would stop staring at him so coldly. He wasn't sure he'd even seen her blink yet. "I've just had a lot on my mind as of late."

The female grunt nodded. "It's best not to let your personal life interfere with your professional one. If your stress is impacting your work, you should consider sleeping some of it off in the nap room during the designated break period. Remember: Ensure that the bed you choose-"

"-Is unoccupied before getting into it," Lucas finished for her, nodding. He had seen the plaque that bore that warning many times when running errands deeper in the base. He shuddered to think what may have happened in the past to make Cyrus leave a notice for his employees regarding such an obvious precaution. "Thank you for the advice. I'll try to be more…" He bit his lip nervously. "I'll try to be more vigilant in my work."

"Very good. Now, I need you to take these documents to Commander Saturn," the woman told him, handing Lucas a large sealed brown envelope with the metallic yellow letter G that served as the Team Galactic logo emblazoned on it. "I'm sure I don't need to tell you that the contents are for the Commander's eyes __only__."

"Understood," Lucas said, saluting respectfully. The grunt returned the salute before turning and walking away, leaving the young man to his task.

Young man. It was hard to believe that only a handful of short years ago, Lucas had been a boy adventuring all across the Sinnoh region, catching, training and raising Pokémon with much passion. Since then, he had grown, as people do, but it must be said that while Lucas grew older, he hadn't grown wiser at the same rate. In his mid to late teens, he had grown careless and naive, dabbling in fields that were best not dabbled in, experimenting with things best not experimented with. It was only after facing the repercussions of his actions - namely, seeing his Ditto get taken into protective custody and having all remaining unhatched Pokémon eggs in his possession confiscated by the authorities - that he had been forced to wake up... and grow up.

Now in his early twenties, noticeably skinny and a little short for his age, Lucas still looked more like a boy than a man, and was often referred to as a boy by his superiors as a result. He didn't have a problem with it exactly, but it was hard for him to think of himself as a man when even those around him didn't seem to regard him as such.

Lucas was soon jogging through the base's many sterile corridors, passing machines that blinked with multi-coloured lights and beeped rhythmically, zipping by the entrance of the break room without turning his head, briefly hearing some of the other employees talking casually, no doubt sipping coffee from Galactic-branded white mugs. Lucas felt that he could go for a coffee right about now, but he knew that it could wait until after he had completed his assigned task. He was, to all intents and purposes, Team Galactic's on-site messenger boy. He was sure that there was a proper, more professional name for it, one that didn't make it sound so demeaning, but it escaped his mind at present, which was probably a good thing, because one couldn't afford to get distracted when the big boss expected results.

Results that said boss expected to be able to set his Pokétch by.

Ducking through the aforementioned nap room as a shortcut, Lucas raced up the stairs, rounded a corner, narrowly avoided colliding with a male grunt who was coming the other way, reached the end of the hall and stopped just outside the Commander's office. Taking a moment to catch his breath and compose himself, Lucas straightened the collar of his uniform, made sure the G on the upper right of his chest wasn't wrinkled or otherwise not fully visible, ran a hand through his hair to make sure it lay as flat as it was ever going to without gel or something similar to mat it down, swallowed nervously and quietly pushed the door open.


	2. The Man Called Saturn

Chapter 2

Saturn's office was eerily quiet. There was no clock on the wall to tick, no Newton's Cradle on the metallic desk to click back and forth rhythmically, no window to let a whooshing breeze in… It felt to Lucas as though he had stepped out of a spaceship and onto the surface of an undisturbed, unknown alien word - which, quite honestly, was very fitting for an organisation called Team Galactic, but any sort of humour to be found in that knowledge was lost as the boy walked quietly across the room with a very forced calm, extremely conscious of how his footsteps seemed to echo deafeningly in contrast to the silence. He could see a large swivel chair behind the desk, facing away from him. Was the Commander even present? Lucas wasn't sure, and this just made him even more nervous. He hoped to Arceus that he had remembered to put on deodorant this morning, not least because he could already feel beads of sweat starting to form on his forehead. He cleared his throat politely.

"Commander Saturn, sir," the boy said in an attempted professional tone as he placed the envelope on the large desk, "Your documents, as requested."

For a brief moment, Lucas' words were met with silence, and he feared that he might be talking to an empty chair, if not an empty room, but then the chair suddenly started to move, slowly rotating so that its occupant soon faced Lucas.

Saturn hadn't changed much appearance-wise since Lucas had first battled him and his fearsome Toxicroak all those years ago. His meticulously styled dark blue hair still gave the impression that the man had horns. Granted, there were very faint streaks of grey in that hair, with the most subtle of age lines on the Commander's cheekbones to reveal that, for as tireless as he seemed, Saturn was now entering his mid thirties, and it was starting to show, albeit just barely. When he spoke, however, it was with that same smooth voice he had used when Lucas, as a youth, had first encountered him. That silky smooth, softly spoken voice that both then and now gave Lucas chills for more reasons than one. It was somehow both unsettling and relaxing at the same time. Even as a kid, hearing words coming out of Saturn's mouth, words that were typically cryptic and perhaps carefully chosen to be so, had set Lucas' teeth on edge, making him cringe with unease. It was like an ASMR effect, with the resulting tingles proving unnerving rather than pleasuring.

"Papers in a sealed envelope. Curious how something so simple, almost mundane, can change the fate of this entire organisation," Saturn mused in that eerily calm tone he was known for as he placed one finger on the envelope and dragged it across the desk toward himself. "Handled poorly or with care, they __will__ shape our tomorrow because __you__ … a simple courier… have brought them before me today."

Courier. __That__ was the proper name for Lucas' job. He'd have to remember that. Still, he again found himself feeling that sense of discomfort that came from listening to Saturn's monologuing.

"So many employers tend to forget how much of an impact each and every worker, from the highest ranking executive right down to the janitor, can have in a company's bigger picture. They are like a house of cards - take one away and everything can and most likely will fall apart. Your job may seem simple, perhaps even bland, but I implore you to never take it lightly, Lucius."

"Lucas, and I'll keep that in mind, sir. Thank you," Lucas said, turning to leave.

"So eager to leave my sight, I see," Saturn said, a hint of knowing amusement in his voice, his words causing Lucas to halt. "Look at me, Lucas. Turn to face me."

Uncertainly, Lucas obliged, not sure what his boss might be thinking. Then again, no one really knew what Saturn was thinking most of the time. He had always been kind of mysterious.

"My eyes are up here, not down there on the floor."

Admittedly, Lucas felt a little guilty that his first instinct had been to avert his eyes. Somewhat reluctantly, he brought his grey eyes up to meet Saturn's piercing blue ones.

"Tell me, Lucas, does my appearance… __intimidate__ you, like a Pokemon's ability cutting through its opponent's attack stat? Does my carefully tailored uniform make you feel… __inadequately__ dressed by comparison? Does my hair make me seem like a Pinsir about to grab you in a Vice Grip? Do my eyes burn into you like a Fire Blast?"

"…No, sir."

Saturn closed his eyes briefly, letting out a soft chuckle. "You are a terrible liar, Lucas. Know why? Your body language betrays you. One can tell a lot about a man by the way he stands, the way he moves, the way he acts. Without even opening your mouth, you tell me a story, Lucas. A story about you. A story that __is__ you, and like any written narrative, your story has twists and turns, elements that are both surprising… and not surprising at all. That uniform you wear… You do not wear it with pride. You wear it with doubt, perhaps even regret. You regret what might have been, what __could__ have been had you chosen a different path. The look in your eyes… It is a look of longing. Longing for a forgotten dream to return in the form of reality."

Lucas said nothing. His nervousness was rapidly becoming overshadowed by a deep sadness. In truth, this sadness was nothing new to him, but he had tried to bury it under a forced smile and a reassuring quip when around those he cared about. A wasted effort, for his mother could see it, his Pokémon could see it, and now his boss, a man that he was by no means close to, could apparently see it as plain as day at a mere __glance__ …

"You took this job because you feared you could do no better, given your past endeavours," Saturn summarised, pressing a button under his desk, causing a panel on the floor to slide open, a small chair rising up from the depths. "Sit. I'm going to tell you something important."

Lucas sat, still not sure where Saturn was going with this. The Commander leaned forward slightly, his eyes firmly locked on Lucas' troubled ones. Despite having found it difficult to meet Saturn's gaze before, the boy was now afraid to look away.

"Team Galactic is no stranger to making mistakes, Lucas. You of all people should know that. It is a part of human nature, and one that Cyrus sought to change with his extreme methods. What he failed to realise, however, is that the very __point__ of making mistakes is to __learn__ from them. You cannot bury your mistakes, Lucas, but you can __build__ upon them, use them as the stairway leading onward and upward to a future. __Your__ future, and if studying the flow of time and the expanse of space has taught me anything, it's that there _is_ no future without a past to plan it upon… and a present to construct it upon."

Saturn pressed another button on his desk and a compartment opened up on the top left of it. The Commander reached in and pulled out two small glasses and a bottle of amber liquid. Lucas recognised it as bourbon. He watched as his boss poured a small amount into each glass before handing one to him.

"Let us drink to the future, Lucas. Your future… and the future of humans and Pokémon the world over."

Lucas was honestly dumbfounded. His boss, Commander Saturn, was sharing an alcoholic beverage with him out of pity? To try and motivate him? It seemed so strange, but again, Saturn's mind was an enigma that was probably best left unquestioned, and thus, Lucas drank from his glass cautiously, part of him wondering if he ought to be drinking on the job regardless of the circumstances, another part of him wondering if Saturn was more in touch with - and caring towards - his employees than he typically let on.

"I should probably be getting back to work, sir," the boy said as he set his glass down on the desk, half of its contents remaining. "Still, thank you for the, um, pep talk. And pep drink." With that, he got to his feet and started for the doorway.

"Lucas?"

Lucas froze, perhaps a little too suddenly, for he heard Saturn chuckle softly again in knowing. The boy slowly turned his head to glance back at his employer with what he hoped was a politely enquiring look and not one of misplaced rigid terror.

"Know that I prefer my employees to feel free to speak their minds rather than stay silent out of fear of antagonising me," Saturn told him, glass of bourbon still in hand. "If you have something that you _know_ you ought to voice, then you would do well to voice it. Keep that in mind, and keep up the vigilant work while you're at it. Remember that your role is more important than you might believe, Lucas."

Lucas nodded rather offhandedly, just eager to get out of Saturn's office. "I'll try my best, Commander, and thanks again."

Once he was alone in his office, Saturn topped up his glass and took another sip, wisely knowing to make it his last serveing of alcohol for the day. "That boy..." he mused quietly to himself, a number of enigmatic thoughts going through his head underneath that decidedly imposing hairstyle.


	3. The Draconid Has Landed

Chapter 3

The break room. Even here, Lucas felt that he couldn't fully relax. The sterile, almost robotic nature of Team Galactic as a whole even managed to find its way into the midst of the sounds of casual chatter and the aroma of roasted coffee beans. In fact, Lucas felt that it was a bit of a stretch to call the conversations going on around him casual, for while they were indeed centred on the usual topics like 'good movies' the grunts had seen lately or how the prices of items at PokéMarts seemed to inconveniently rise with annoying regularity, each of Lucas' fellow employees seemed to speak with that same tone of voice - that eerily calm, meticulously level and borderline monotone dialogue exchange that would've made passerby wonder if a Pokémon had used Hypnosis on them. Even the body language of the grunts seemed stiff or downright nonexistent at times, with the azure-haired men and women as still as statues regardless of whether they were sitting or standing, only their eyes and mouths moving as they conversed. Occasionally, one of them would raise a coffee mug to their lips or approach the coffee machine on the bench with static movements to fill their cups once more. Deep down, Lucas knew that a lot of it was probably his imagination, but even so…

"...So I said to him, 'Money may not be everything, but I'm still going to take _mine_ elsewhere'," a nearby male grunt said, his colleagues chuckling quietly at his comment.

"Reminds me of something that happened to me in Sunyshore during my paid leave…" a female grunt began, adding to the conversation, lowering her Galactic branded coffee mug as she spoke. Despite the uniform and hair that would make it easy to lose her in a crowd of Team Galactic grunts, Lucas recognised her. She had joined the payroll not long after he himself had and she had quickly risen to the rank of Supervisor thanks to her noteworthy aptitude. What was her name again? Crystal, wasn't it? Or maybe Christine. Or Chrysalis. Something that sounded like 'Chris', anyway. Lucas wasn't about to ask her about it. No, he was content - relatively speaking - to just stand there in the corner, sipping at his coffee, pulling a face as he became aware of how bitter it tasted.

"Grab a couple of sugar packets now while you still can. From what I've seen, Chrysalis typically has four to a mug, and she goes through those mugs like a Medicham goes through stone blocks with a Karate Chop."

Lucas turned his head to see a female grunt just a couple years older than him standing beside him, coffee mug in hand. Said mug was not another static white beverage container bearing the Team Galactic logo, but rather a black mug that appeared to have been somewhat clumsily handmade from clay. It depicted a symmetrical pair of obtuse triangles of deep green on the side, looking almost like pincers or fangs, a small green diamond between them.

"It's the Delta," the young woman elaborated, seeing what he was staring at. "A little reminder of my home, both the symbol and this mug. My dear Aster made it for me, before…" She trailed off, turning away and closing her piercing red eyes for a moment. Clearly, she didn't want to dwell on the subject. After a moment, she perked up again, turning to face Lucas once more with a smile. "I'm Zinnia," she told him, holding out her free hand. "And you're Lucas, right?"

"Uh, yeah," Lucas responded as he shook Zinnia's hand, immediately noticing the firmness of her grip. He was a little surprised that this stranger knew his name already. "You new around here, then?"

"Just transferred from Hoenn. It's kinda funny, going from one team of strangely dressed weirdos to another in the span of a few short years," Zinnia said, seeming to stare off into space as she said this. She then shook her head. "My family sent me here to 'settle down', so to speak. They say I have a knack for trouble." She then chuckled, perhaps knowingly. "Guess that depends on whether or not you'd call running around in a cape with bunch of dragons in your pocket trouble."

Lucas smirked at that, albeit a little uncertainly. "You know, I kind of admire your nerve, mouthing off about Miss Chrysalis like that. You don't seem as…"

"Automated as the other grunts?" Zinnia guessed, a sly, knowing smirk playing at the corners of her mouth. "Spoiler alert: I'm not," she said, lifting up her azure fringe to reveal distinct locks of deep black underneath. She was wearing a wig!

"Wow."

"Wow nothing. They offered to put that cheap imitation car polish in my hair during what I like to call 'the initiation ritual'. My orientation, in other words. I told them I'd rather stick my head in a bucket of Cubchoo snot. The barber looked a little miffed about that, so I politely helped myself to one of the wigs he had in storage… and then ran like you wouldn't believe when he caught me rummaging through his supplies. Yeah, I think I made a good first impression, don't you?"

Lucas cracked up laughing at that. He couldn't remember the last time he'd expressed genuine mirth in the workplace. Chrysalis and the other grunts turned to stare at him, distracted from their conversations by the sudden rise in volume.

"And just between you and me, I'm not sure Queen Chrysalis over there is indigo at the roots, either," Zinnia whispered to Lucas, which just made him laugh all the harder. "Maybe she should go back to the world of _My Little Ponyta_ with her tail between her hooves."

"OH, DEAR ARCEUS!" Lucas howled, now doubled over with absolute mirth. "Stop! Ple-hea-hease!"

"Well, it seems that _someone's_ enjoying himself," a familiar voice said from the break room's doorway, causing Lucas to immediately stop laughing. He whirled his head around in time to see Saturn stride in, making his way over to the coffee machine.

"Commander Saturn, sir!" Chrysalis greeted respectfully, standing at attention and saluting, the other grunts following suit, Lucas most certainly included. Zinnia, on her part, stuck out her hand and gave a rather lax thumbs up, turning her thumb downwards the very nanosecond the Commander's back was turned and silently tittered into her palm, having clasped it over her mouth to try, somewhat in vain, to conceal her mad (and very inappropriate) glee.

"At ease," Saturn said calmly as he turned to face his crew, his newly acquired mug of coffee topped with cream. While the grunts no longer stood at attention at his words, most of them hardly looked at ease. Lucas in particular was shaking in his grey boots, and was doing an even worse job of hiding it than Zinnia was doing to hide her mischievous amusement, and that was saying a lot. "Well, carry on, then!" Saturn exclaimed, sounding just a little impatient, perhaps understandably so. Chrysalis and the grunts turned to each other, trying to pick up where their conversation had left off, but were only able to bring themselves to mutter uncomfortably. Saturn rolled his eyes at their behaviour and drank deeply from his mug, his eyes widening when he realised just how hot the beverage was. He spluttered in shock, a little of the blistering liquid escaping his mouth and dripping down to stain the front of his uniform.

Time itself seemed to stand still for reasons that had nothing to do with Dialga. Nobody moved. Nobody made a sound. No one dared to.

And then Zinnia fell to the floor in a fit of hysterical, uncontrollable laughter.

"Hail, almighty leader!" she managed to say mockingly between guffaws, actually rolling back and forth on the carpet like a Growlithe waiting to be petted.

That did it. Lucas couldn't stand to witness the situation before him a moment longer. He raced to the nearby sink, tipped the contents of his mug down the drain and hastily filled it with cold water, bringing it over to his boss without missing a beat. "Here you are, s-sir," he managed in a levelheaded tone that surprised even him, gently pressing the mug into Saturn's free hand. Saturn guzzled the whole thing in one gulp, feeling the water soothe his blistered tongue and throat somewhat.

"Appreciated," he gasped, sounding a little hoarse. He tried to say something else, but couldn't bring himself to speak at normal volume. Setting both mugs down on the bench, he gestured for Lucas to come closer, whispering something into his ear. Lucas appeared surprised at what he heard, but he stood up straight nonetheless and cleared his throat, addressing the other grunts.

"Break time ends in five minutes. The Commander trusts you'll all continue to work progressively while he pulls himself together," he said, speaking for the Commander.

Lucas didn't notice, but Saturn cast a weak smile in his direction as the still wincing man left the room.

"Wow," Chrysalis mumbled, staring at Lucas as though she had never seen him before. The Supervisor had never before missed an opportunity to lick boot where Saturn was concerned, but now she seemed simply awed by how Lucas had beaten her to it with his sudden 'take charge' approach.

"Wow nothing," Lucas declared, mirroring what Zinnia had said to him before. "Uh, Miss Chrysalis," he then added respectfully, his usual meek attitude towards Team Galactic returning.

"So… _that_ just happened," Zinnia summarised as she got to her feet, finally having stopped making a spectacle of herself. "What?" she demanded, realising that everyone was glaring at her. Lucas just shook his head and turned away. It seemed to him that Zinnia was right about having a talent for trouble. With her attitude, she would surely find some amidst the staff of Team Galactic...


	4. Enough To Make You Feint

Chapter 4

Weavile stood against the Veilstone Game Corner's counter with its arms folded, vigilantly watching the people playing the slot machines. It had its eye on one player in particular - a man with short, dark hair and a professional-looking brown overcoat. The slot machine he was playing suddenly sounded the 'game over' chime and he leant back, letting out a sigh.

"Once again, my streak is broken," Looker summarised, getting up and stretching, for he had been seated for just a bit too long. As he started towards the exit, Weavile made its move, dashing forward swiftly and quietly, reaching into the International Police agent's coat pocket and skilfully pulling out a small pile of coins without the man's notice, holding them triumphantly in its claws.

"Weavile," it muttered with smug satisfaction, taking a seat in front of the very machine Looker had just been playing and inserting a single coin. The Sharp Claw Pokémon reached up and pulled the lever and the slots started spinning. It smirked wickedly.

No doubt about it - today was the day it would finally walk out of here with a brand spanking new Silk Scarf worn stylishly around its neck. Weavile could already picture it - the smooth, sublime white fabric draped over its already smooth and sublime crimson neck frills, the garment billowing gently in the breeze in a way that made the Dark/Ice type look awesome and heroic, complimenting its murky grey fur.

Another coin. Another spin. Another coin. Another spin. So it went for a while, Weavile slowly but surely starting to grow impatient, its crimson crest bristling a little as its clawed appendage grasped the lever with forced calm, pulling it down gently rather than succumbing to the temptation to rip the thing clean off the machine and use it to smash the spinning slots until they tilted and coins came raining out of the bottom. No, gambling was a… _delicate_ practice that required steady nerves - something the Dark/Ice type's Trainer certainly didn't have, that was for sure.

Oh, how Weavile longed for the days when its master wasn't afraid to take risks, to be adventurous, to be…

Well, to be Lucas.

The man in the Team Galactic uniform who acted as the Sharp Claw Pokémon's Trainer and caregiver was not Lucas, as far as Weavile was concerned. He may have had the still recognisable face and voice of a now adult Lucas, but he was an entirely different person in terms of how he dressed, how he acted and how he emoted. He wasn't the Lucas Weavile knew. He wasn't the Lucas _anybody_ knew. It was no secret that people tended to change with time, but much like his uninspired haircut, Lucas had let himself be reshaped by his past mistakes and bad experiences into something that was just _not_ Lucas.

Weavile sighed heavily, lowering its arm instead of pulling the lever to use its last coin. It got up, deciding that someone else could have the final spin, deciding that a Silk Scarf wasn't all it was cracked up to be. The Pokémon turned to leave, immediately bumping into someone. It muttered a half-hearted apology in the Pokémon tongue as it looked up to see the face of the person it had collided with and stopped dead, recognising the uniform, recognising those eyes.

Those sad eyes that had once burned so bright with passion, ambition, courage and spirit.

Those eyes that were dull and grey for reasons that had nothing to do with their colour.

"Thought I'd find you here," Lucas said knowingly, a little disheartened as his Pokémon averted its gaze, refusing to stare at those sad eyes any longer than it had to. "No winnings?" he guessed, misinterpreting the Dark/Ice type's reasons for being so reserved. Weavile shook its head, honestly not caring about the coins it had stolen and spent. "Well, maybe next time, buddy. Come on, let's head home."

Home. That was an interesting way of putting it. The last time Weavile had checked, Lucas' home was in Twinleaf Town, where his mother, Johanna, lived. A mother that the boy hadn't seen for some time now. Was he even thinking about her? Weavile didn't know. All it knew for sure was that the young man's current living arrangements didn't truly feel like home.

* * *

"Hah! Huh! Yah!"

Maylene thrust her palm against the punching bag that hung before her, emulating the motion her Lucario made when it used Force Palm. One jab. Another. A third with more force behind it than the first two. A combo of powerful jabs worthy of the Aura Pokémon itself.

The Gym Leader stood back to admire her handiwork, noting that the punching bag looked a lot more battered than it had when she'd first brought it out of storage three days ago. She was getting stronger, going through pieces of sporting equipment faster with time and repeated practice. There had been a time when Maylene would smirk with satisfaction at such a notion, her naivety turning her moment of success into overconfidence, but she was wiser as well as stronger these days, and reserved a neutral, almost indifferent expression for the fruits of her ever-ongoing physical labour.

Her pink hair shorter than it had once been, cut into an arguably lesbian look, and with band-aids decorating her cheeks as well as her nose, Maylene certainly looked tougher than she had a few short years ago. Her muscles were clearly more developed, though without looking bulky. Her overall physique was far from 'ripped', but there was no denying that she had become considerably more athletic. She was definitely taller if nothing else. Her tried and true martial arts tank top of blue and black and her sporty white pants bore many visible stitches where the Gym Leader had patched up rips and tears over the years. She no longer wore the blue and red fingerless gloves she had once favoured so much, her strong fists now bare to match her powerful feet.

Maylene had grown in both body and mind, and while the former was still overshooting the latter to a degree, there was no doubt that she had rightfully inherited the Veilstone Gym. She was most definitely worthy of her status as an all-but unquestioned expert in the fields of martial arts and Fighting type Pokémon.

Maylene turned away from the punching bag, snatching up the nearby bottle of water and downing half of its contents in one gulp, one of her pink eyes focused on the analogue clock on the wall, noting the time. She didn't even need Lucario, who stood nearby, to let out a soft growl in order for her to know what was coming.

"You always sense his aura before I see him, but his timing is always on the nose regardless," the Gym Leader mused to her Pokémon. No sooner had she spoken when the double doors of the Gym slid open and Lucas stepped in, Weavile at his heels. Maylene neither said nor did anything to greet him, just turning back to the punching bag and giving it one final thrusting jab, sending it flying off its hook and crashing to the floor nearby.

"Whoa," Lucas murmured cautiously. He had seen Maylene really sock it to one of those punching bags before, but there seemed to be an extra touch of aggressiveness behind her strikes tonight. He hesitated before approaching the Gym Leader, noticing how her Lucario leant casually against the wall nearby, its arms folded over the yellow fur just under its metallic chest spike as it watched Lucas' every move with vigilant and piercing red eyes. The bipedal jackal-like beast's blue fur, which lined the majority of its outer body, faintly shimmered with what looked like blue fire.

Its aura.

Lucas stepped up to Maylene, who still had her back to him, and opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off before he could utter a single word.

"The usual spot. Five minutes. Get changed," she said simply without looking at him.

"Maylene, please, it's been a weird day for me and-" Lucas started.

"Man up!" Maylene suddenly snapped, making the boy flinch as she whipped her head around to glare at him. She then sighed. "Four minutes and thirty seconds," she said more calmly. "Loser makes dinner, same as always."

Lucas filed out of the Gym's training area without further argument while Weavile left his side to go and socialise with Maylene's Lucario. The boy soon returned, no longer clad in his Team Galactic uniform, but rather a martial arts uniform identical to Maylene's, albeit a little smaller and skinnier. He stepped up into the small boxing ring that Maylene kept set up on one side of the Gym, feeling apprehensive as he always did before his evening bout with the Gym Leader. They fought because it was one of Maylene's rules.

And if Lucas didn't follow the house rules set by his hostess, she reserved the right to kick him out, perhaps literally.

Maylene somersaulted over the velvet ropes that lined the boxing ring and stood crouching before Lucas, her head down. "Let's see what you've learned since last time," she said without looking up. Lucas swallowed, knowing what was coming. He did his best to ready himself.

Maylene very suddenly lifted her head, her eyes locked with Lucas' own for all of half a second, and then Lucas was tackled from below, his legs going out from under him as the expert martial artist completely bowled him over. He didn't even try to resist as Maylene kept him pinned down, slapping her palm against the floor rhythmically, acting as the referee as well as the boy's opponent.

"One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten. You're out," she concluded, not sounding the least bit satisfied with this outcome as she released him and stood up. "You're not trying," she told him.

"What gave it away?" Lucas asked dully, yet to move from his spot on the floor.

"Ugh! What _didn't_ give it away?!" Maylene exclaimed, sounding like her younger, brattier self for just a moment. She then exhaled deeply, refusing to let old habits get the better of her. "I've taught you better than this, Lucas," she said more calmly. "Now come on, get up. Let's do this properly. Best three out of five."

Lucas bit back a weary sigh and got to his feet, developing a very half-hearted fighting stance. From over where the respective Trainers' Pokémon stood, Weavile gently tugged on Lucario's ankle to get the Aura Pokémon's attention.

"Weavile. Wea, Wea," the Dark/Ice type said quietly, earning a subtle but knowing smirk from the Fighting/Steel type. Weavile folded its arms and leant against the wall, mimicking the taller Pokémon's stance as the two watched their respective masters continue their martial arts practice.

"Remember to read your opponents, Lucas," Maylene was saying. "You can tell a lot about them from how they stand, how they present themselves."

"Hmm. Sounds like something Commander Saturn would say," Lucas mused thoughtfully, speaking more to himself than Maylene.

"You must be ready to act _and_ react in _either order_ , lest you find yourself on the receiving end of a beatdown."

With a sudden yell, Maylene was upon Lucas again, and while he actually made the effort this time to get out of the way of her attack on his lower body, she surprised him by grabbing his arm as she slid by and tugging it sharply, causing the boy to spin around and fall backwards onto a crouched Maylene's shoulder. The Gym Leader then proceeded to fling the boy right over her shoulder like a burlap sack, slinging him somewhat painfully onto the little arena's floor, causing him to grunt in pained protest. He sat up rubbing the back of his head, glaring at his mentor.

"Lucas, do you know _why_ I insist on trying to teach you these things despite you acting like a lost cause?"

"Not as such," Lucas responded with disinterest as Maylene reached down and pulled him to his feet… only for her to immediately fling him over her other shoulder as soon as he was upright. "Ow! Easy!" he complained.

"It's because you're _not_ a lost cause, no matter how much you might _think_ you are," Maylene declared, folding her arms as she stared down at him. "Stand up."

"If I do, you'll just slam me into the floor again."

"Wrong!" Maylene cried before suddenly lashing out, grabbing Lucas' arm and yanking him none-too-gently to his feet. "I'm gonna _twirl_ you around, _elbow_ you in the gut, _Karate Chop_ you in the shoulder and _then_ flip you over my shoulder and slam you into the floor," she said, narrating her actions as she performed them in sequence.

"Very funny," Lucas said, not sounding the least bit amused. "You want me to re-evaluate my self-worth, huh? It's kind of hard to do that when I'm getting tossed around like a rag doll!"

"Then stop being a rag doll and start being Lucas!" Maylene told him, hands on her hips as she turned to face him. "Now, get up and do exactly what I just did, only to me!"

"You're kidding, right? I'll barely have time to blink before you Throat Chop me or something and I go straight down!"

"Then don't blink."

Seething, Lucas got up slowly, careful not to make any sudden moves prematurely. If Maylene could 'read' his moves, he'd at least try, perhaps in vain, to start her off with a few blank pages. He brought his hands together before him, pretending to give a respectful bow to acknowledge his opponent while secretly planning to lash out suddenly as she previously had.

"No Feinting. Just follow through," Maylene told him. Gritting his teeth at how his act had immediately been seen through by the more experienced martial artist, Lucas reached out and took hold of Maylene's arm, careful not to hesitate lest she chastise him for doing so, and twirled her around, elbowed her in the stomach, landed a smart chopping motion on her shoulder and, with a grunt of effort, cast the young woman over his shoulder, albeit with nowhere near as much grace or fluidity, requiring both hands to lift her whereas Maylene had used only one.

"How was that?" he demanded breathlessly, not looking over his shoulder.

"Better," Maylene told him, getting to her feet as though nothing had happened. "Your posture was improper and your technique was - and is - sloppy, but you get the job done, and that's something."

"You wanna call it a draw?" Lucas asked, offering a small but cheeky grin as he turned to face her.

"Don't flatter yourself," Maylene said as she grabbed him and cast him over her shoulder yet again, still yet to even break a sweat.

"Why not? I thought it was good for my self-esteem."

"Your self-esteem? Maybe. Your ego? Maybe not," Maylene said as she started to walk away, casually stepping over the boxing ring's velvet ropes and stopping for a moment. "We're having gourmet rice balls for dinner. Ingredients and cookbook are in the usual places," she stated without turning around.

Lucas let out a low whistle as he watched Maylene leave the room. "I think I made an impression," he decided with a faint air of cockiness, the likes of which he had not shown since his days as a dedicated Pokémon Trainer.

"Weavile! Wea, Weavile!" Weavile called from its spot in the corner, giving its master a thumbs up with one of its claws, just happy to see Lucas starting to enjoy himself for a change. Lucas smiled back, though his eyes still weren't quite cleared of that inner sadness…


	5. Secrets And Tyres

Chapter 5

Chrysalis looked up from the clipboard of notes she was browsing to see Saturn walking past the doorway of the break room, pausing and turning to look at her as he passed.

"I'm leaving for the night, Chrysalis. I have something that requires my attention elsewhere. You're in charge until I return," the Commander told her.

"Understood, sir," Chrysalis said, giving a curt nod of understanding. Saturn walked away, and as soon as his footsteps had faded into the distance, the female supervisor immediately turned to the cupboards that lined the sink and hurried over, detaching a concealed paperclip from the clipboard she carried and using it to pick the cupboard's lock. A moment later, Chrysalis pulled a laptop out of the cupboard, opened it and booted it up, the Team Galactic logo appearing on the screen against a blue background. After a few minutes of fast-paced typing, the young woman brought up a live communication, a face staring back at her out of the screen.

The person on the other end of the communication had a pale, greyish complexion, his eyes hidden by rectangular white goggles that looked very futuristic, as did the helmet he wore on his head, covering most of his dark purple hair. His mouth was a thin, serious line that suggested no tolerance for nonsense or time wasting.

"Chrysalis," the pale man acknowledged rather than greeted, his stoic expression not changing in the slightest. "I trust you have the information I need?"

"Of course, sir," Chrysalis assured him calmly, a cold, satisfied smile forming on her lips. Her smile quickly changed to a surprised flinch as, without warning, another face appeared on the screen, popping into view from below.

"Hey, Chrysalis!" the newcomer greeted cheerfully, giving a wave with a gloved hand, said glove very cybernetic. She shared the pale man's complexion and bore identical goggles and headwear, but her hair was a bright shade of orange and hung down behind her out the back of her helmet, braided. "Good to see you!"

"Calm yourself, Zossie," the pale man told his young cohort, clearly uncomfortable with having his important discussion interrupted by such unprofessional behaviour.

"Aw, but Dulse, how often am I going to get the chance to use one of these 'computing' devices?" the girl, Zossie, complained with a childish pout. "They're so charmingly antique, at least compared to the technology of our Ultra suits!"

Chrysalis cringed slightly, very aware that Zossie's uncurbed enthusiasm was taking time away from more important matters. "Sir, this is getting out of hand. I'm already taking a big risk just trying to set up these transactions of ours ahead of time without anyone noticing."

"I am not concerned by your reputation amongst your peers, Chrysalis," Dulse stated matter-of-factly. "All that matters is that you supply me with what I need-"

"What _we_ need!" Zossie corrected him.

"-So that we may compensate you accordingly as per our agreement," Dulse concluded, suppressing an irritated sigh at Zossie's comment.

"I understand, sir," Chrysalis assured him. "I will do whatever it takes to convince you that I am worthy of your-"

The supervisor suddenly whipped her head around, listening intently, her eyes glued to the doorway. Sure enough, footsteps could be heard approaching.

"Someone's coming," she hissed, glancing back at the live feed of Dulse's face. "I have to go."

Chrysalis switched off the laptop, cutting the communication short. She snapped the device shut, wincing at the loudness of the snap before hastily stuffing the portable computer back into its hiding place, refastening the lock over the cupboard handle just as the footsteps reached the break room's doorway. Chrysalis whirled around in panic, fearing that Saturn himself had caught her in the act, having come back early for some as-of-yet unknown reason, but it wasn't the pincer-haired Commander who stood there staring at her with a raised eyebrow.

"You?!" Chrysalis almost shouted in shocked surprise. "What're you even still _doing_ here at this hour?"

"Hey, I could ask you the same question," Zinnia retorted. She was still clad in her Team Galactic uniform, but was no longer wearing the wig, her somewhat wild-looking deep black hair draped around her shoulders for all to see. "In fact, that's _exactly_ what I intended to ask you, and still do. Ain't life funny?" she asked with a playful smile.

"I'm still here because I work here!" Chrysalis snapped, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Well, so do I," Zinnia reminded her. "I just came back because I forgot my personalised coffee mug." The girl with the crimson eyes then tilted her head, looking thoughtful. "Huh. I didn't know supervisors were in charge of restocking the tea and coffee reserves. I figured that was beneath them."

Chrysalis scowled. " _You_ are beneath me, grunt," she stated, her words icy. "Get your mug and get out before I give you a demerit for talking cheek to your superior."

Zinnia's eyebrows became raised even higher. "If I didn't know better, Chrysalis, I'd think you had something to hide."

"Oh, y-you'd like that, wouldn't you?" Chrysalis sneered, her slight stammer giving her fear away. "You'd like to find some dirt on me so you could use it to steal my position as supervisor right out from under me! Well, I'd like to see you try!"

Zinnia just shook her head, chuckling knowingly. "Poor Chrysalis, trying to manipulate a high-profit organisation dedicated to energy research from the inside for personal gain. Been there, done that, and I never came _close_ to being found out by my 'superiors', as you put it."

Chrysalis' eyes widened. Had Zinnia really sized her up like that so effortlessly? "You… You know nothing of what I want, for Team Galactic or otherwise!" she protested nervously. "You don't know a _thing_ about me!"

"I know your name, 'Chrysalis', and names have power," Zinnia told her, folding her arms as she watched the supervisor carefully, still smiling that knowing smile. "Be careful, Chrysalis, or you might find that power being used against you."

Chrysalis swallowed nervously as she watched Zinnia fetch her mug from out of the sink and walk away, the supervisor only getting to her feet once she was sure the girl with the crimson eyes was gone. "No," she said to herself after a long moment of silence. "She's just trying to psyche me out for a cheap laugh. She can't _possibly_ know what I'm planning, and it doesn't matter anyway - she'll thank me in the end. They all will."

* * *

Saturn walked quietly through the streets of Veilstone City, arms at his sides, his movements and body language no less static than that of the Team Galactic employees who worked for him. He didn't meet anyone as he made his way along the pavement with an eerily calm demeanour, taking a right turn when he reached a fork in the road. His destination in his sights, Saturn's piercing eyes flickered from it to the Veilstone Gym beyond. The lights were still on within. The Commander smiled to himself. No doubt Leader Maylene still kept herself busy even after hours. He could relate, but despite what he may have _implied_ to Chrysalis before departing from the Galactic HQ, the leader of Team Galactic did not have business on his mind tonight. To clarify, the company and its future was always at the forefront of his mind, but all business and no pleasure never did bode well.

The distant sound of a crash caught Saturn's attention, and while his demeanour did not noticeably change, he was admittedly a little perplexed when he saw what appeared to be a car tyre rolling along down the street, a figure chasing after it in the gloom.

"I got it, I got it!" a familiar voice cried.

"Wea! Weavile!" the unmistakable call of a Weavile sounded in response.

The tyre rolled to a stop just a few feet away from Saturn, falling onto its side and becoming still. A second or two later, the familiar form of Lucas stopped before the large, round wheel, looking exhausted yet relieved.

"Told you I'd catch up to it," the boy mused cockily, addressing the Pokémon that ran up to stand at his side. The Weavile rolled its eyes before noticing Saturn standing there.

"Weavile!" it cried sharply, alerting the boy to the Commander's presence. It was then that the streetlights flickered on automatically, light breaking through the gloom just as the sun finally set behind the tall buildings that made up the city.

"Oh! G-Good evening, Commander Saturn!" Lucas spluttered, saluting respectfully - if not cluelessly - as he stood there in a sporty tank top that showed just how skinny he really was. Granted, he was not without muscle - which went without saying, given that he trained regularly with Maylene - but the boy would probably benefit from the occasional sip of a Protein drink.

"Evening, Lucas," Saturn responded with calm politeness. "I take it that this tyre is yours?"

"Heh. Yeah, it… sort of got away from me," Lucas admitted sheepishly, his cheeks reddening slightly. Weavile sniggered into its clawed appendage, earning it a scowl from its master.

"It doesn't seem to have caused any harm. Tell me, do you often take tyres for evening strolls?" Saturn enquired with a sly smirk. That was enough to make Weavile burst out laughing.

"Actually," Lucas started through clenched teeth as he resisted the urge to give the Sharp Claw Pokémon a kick as it continued to laugh at his expense, "This tyre is Maylene's. _Leader_ Maylene's, I should say," he quickly corrected himself. He didn't want Saturn to get the idea that he was having some sort of fling or otherwise eyebrow-raising relationship with the Gym Leader. "I was just helping her sort a few of them when this one suddenly went astray. In fact, a fair few of them went astray, but only _this_ one went so astray that it went out the door and… Well, you know the rest, sir."

"Indeed," Saturn said with a nod. "I trust you and your Weavile will manage in getting it safely back where it belongs?"

"Oh, yeah, certainly!" Lucas babbled. "All the same, could you, um, maybe not tell anyone about this?"

Saturn blinked, putting on a politely puzzled facade. "About what?" he asked nonchalantly.

"About the tyre getting out and… Oh!" Lucas said, catching on. "Right! Exactly! I mean, I didn't see anything if you didn't, right?"

Saturn allowed a small chuckle to escape him. "Quite," he said, smirking before his expression returned to its usual neutral state. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Lucas, my attendance is expected somewhere. Good evening to you."

"Oh, um, yeah. Likewise," Lucas mumbled awkwardly as Saturn turned and approached a nearby house. The boy looked at Weavile as the Dark/Ice type lifted the tyre upright easily, starting to roll it back towards the Gym. It grinned at its Trainer as it passed. "What're you grinning at?" the boy snapped, hands on hips. Weavile sniggered once more and muttered something in the Pokémon tongue, making sure the comment was just loud enough for Lucas to hear. "Hey, watch your mouth!" he exclaimed, but he couldn't help showing a grin of his own.

* * *

Saturn made his way up to the front door of the house near the Gym and knocked. After a few moments, the door opened and a young woman with blonde hair tied back in a ponytail peeked out.

"Commander Saturn," Veilstone City's Massage Girl greeted with a warm smile. "Right on time, as always. Come on in. I just changed the sheets on your usual table."

"Very good, madam," Saturn said as he filed inside, putting all thoughts of Lucas and his runaway tyre aside.

"We have a special tonight on hot stone, Commander. It's a little promotional offer I came up with to try and expand my clientele now that I work with humans as well as Pokémon," the Massage Girl said, always chatty with her regular customers. "Incidentally, I wanted to talk to you about that uniform you wear. I'm not sure it's good for your physical tension…"


	6. Blizzard Of Memories

Chapter 6

"Weavile? Where are you, buddy?"

The Pokémon with the murky grey fur didn't answer its master's call from where it sat on the wooden floorboards in the kitchen corner, gently caressing the faded red fabric of the scarf it held in its honed white claws, the cloth draped around its neck, clashing somewhat with the colour of the Dark/Ice type's neck frills. Weavile didn't look up at the sound of Lucas' approaching footsteps.

"There you are!" the young man exclaimed as he stepped into Maylene's kitchen, spotting the Sharp Claw Pokémon sitting with its back against the wall. The Trainer walked over, a small bowl of chunky brown kibbles held in one hand as he approached. "I thought you might be hungry after helping me gather up those tyres, so I thought I'd make you your favourite," he said as he set the bowl down before Weavile. "Oh! Almost forgot the most important thing!"

The most important thing. Yes, Lucas most certainly _had_ forgotten that quite a while ago, as far as Weavile was concerned. The Pokémon didn't look up as its master hurried over to the fridge to fetch the jar of tantalising berry paste from within. There was a time when the very thought of that condiment had made the Dark/Ice type's mouth water, but Weavile had grown somewhat indifferent to that which had once been pleasuring for it. Such was true for Trainer and Pokémon alike, it seemed.

"There we go. Tamato berry relish," Lucas said with a smile as he spooned some of the reddish orange goop with spiky chunks in it on top of the kibble. He gave a small chuckle. "You're the only Ice type I've ever met who favours spicy foods. Eat up, old friend. You've earned it."

Weavile let out a gloomy sigh, reaching out with its clawed appendage and gently pushing the bowl of food away. Lucas stared at the Pokémon in disbelief. Weavile had never turned down its favourite berry paste before. Then again, when was the last time he had actually thought to offer any to Weavile? Had the Sharp Claw Pokémon's tastes changed without his notice while he went about his days running errands for Team Galactic?

"…Not hungry?" Lucas asked slowly, still shocked by Weavile's uncharacteristic disinterest in its long-since established meal of choice. He swallowed uncertainly, not sure what to make of this. "Well, that's okay. I'll just put your bowl in the fridge and you can have it when you feel ready. There's still plenty of relish to go arou-"

"Weavile! Wea, Wea, Weavile!" Weavile snapped as it suddenly leapt to its feet, its face a mask of frustration and emotional hurt, tears forming in its crimson eyes as it continued to rant, clutching at the battered scarf it wore all the while. "Weavile! _Weavile!"_

"Hey, wh-what's the matter?" Lucas spluttered, alarmed and concerned by his Pokémon's behaviour. "I thought you _liked_ the…! Hey, wait a second. Where did you get that… that scarf?"

At the mention of the garment it wore around its neck, Weavile stopped ranting. It shut its eyes, tears flowing from them nonetheless, and gently reached up to tug the scarf from around its neck, soon holding it loose in its outstretched claws, still trembling as it continued to quietly weep. Lucas reached out and gingerly touched the scarf, his bare skin making contact with Weavile's white claws as he went. As the pair's respective appendages met, as they both held the worn-out garment, memories came flooding back to Lucas.

The young man could see himself as a boy, venturing through a freezing blizzard, a powerful-looking Infernape at his side. The two struggled against the roar of the wind and the onslaught of snow and ice that whipped at Lucas' hair and clothes, threatening to blow his cap away into the whirlwind of white that raged all around him for miles. His scarf, vivid with a beautiful, vibrant shade of red, billowed in the wind, whipping around him as it kept his neck mercifully, almost lovingly warm. He instinctively huddled closer to Infernape, the Pokémon's fiery body proving a welcome source of heat against the bitter cold. The two kept close, afraid of losing each other, whether that meant getting separated… or freezing to death.

And then Lucas saw it. The icy rock that seemed to shimmer like a mirage in the snowstorm, a short figure stepping out from behind it.

No, not stepping.

Stumbling.

Staggering.

Struggling to remain upright as half-frozen blood trickled from the vicious wounds and gashes that peppered the Pokémon's green fur, the pink feather-like crest that protruded from the creature's head bent back at a painful angle, said crest looking like it was one careless touch away from being snapped in two.

Lucas rushed forward, pushing against the blizzard and shuffling through the thick snow as fast as he possibly could, somehow managing to close the distance just in time to catch the wounded, weakened Sneasel as it fell, unconscious, into the boy's waiting arms.

The memory faded into white - perhaps the white of the blizzard - and a new scenario began to play before Lucas' eyes. He was in a cave, his back pressed against the rocky wall as he sat there, paying the nearby bonfire his Infernape had helped him prepare no mind. His focus was solely on the weakened Dark/Ice type that he held in his arms like a child, supporting the creature's head. The boy had sprayed the Sneasel's each and every injury with the strongest Potions he could find in his backpack, and had removed his red scarf, fastening it gently around the Sneasel's neck, making dead sure that the garment wasn't too tight.

"It'll be okay," he whispered, tears threatening to flow from his eyes. He dared to glance up at Infernape, who sat nearby, keeping the bonfire stoked with small embers the simian was producing from its bare paws. A small cast-iron pot was positioned over the fire, hot, creamy soup cooking within. Catching the boy's eye, the Fire/Fighting type quickly reached forward and lifted the lid of the pot, giving the soup a brief stir with the wooden ladle that rested just inside, trying not to show its own worry, trying to appear calm and in control of the situation. By doing so, it would reassure Lucas that he was not alone, that the burden of caring for the injured Sneasel was not his alone to bear.

The sound of the flames licking at the pot was the only thing that broke the silence, much to Lucas' worry. He was listening more intently than he ever had in his life.

Listening for a heartbeat.

Listening for breathing.

Listening for anything that might indicate that he hadn't failed the poor Pokémon in his arms.

"Sneasel, stay with me," he pleaded softly, a small sob escaping him as he stared down at those eyes that would not open, stared down at the small bipedal body that would not move. He lowered his head, still trying to pick up on a heartbeat or a breath.

Nothing.

Lucas gave a tiny whimper, and descended into shaky sobs, his tears flowing freely.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." That was what he tried to say, but words were beyond him now. They didn't matter. His surroundings didn't matter. He himself didn't matter.

All that mattered was the cold, lifeless little body in his arms. Lucas pulled the limp, unmoving Sneasel into a futile hug, trying to offer both it and himself a comfort that wouldn't come. He gingerly took one of the Pokemon's clawed appendages in his hand, feeling the smooth, sleek sharpness of claws that should've served Sneasel well during the long and happy life it would now never have. Lucas held that clawed appendage as a father would hold a child's hand, feeling how cold and sad its wrist felt, feeling the faintest of pulses, so faint that it almost passed him by.

And with that pulse, Lucas' teary eyes widened and he gazed down at Sneasel. Even through his tear-filled vision, he could see the little Pokémon's chest giving subtle, irregular heaves, and then-

"S-Snea…"

Sneasel's eyes slowly opened partway, gazing up at Lucas with undoubtedly hazy vision as he gazed back in disbelieving excitement, hope rising in his chest.

"It's awake! _It's awake!"_ he barely managed to squeak, and then Infernape was there, helping him examine the Dark/Ice type, but careful not to get too close lest its flames should finish the smaller Pokémon off.

"Snea… sel?" the Sneasel managed weakly, trying to lift its head, but Lucas gently eased the Pokémon's noggin back down onto his now waiting palm.

"It's okay. You're gonna be okay," he said calmly and clearly, surprised at how assertive and sure of himself he sounded even through his tears. "We've got you, little buddy. _I've_ got you."

Sneasel gave the meekest of grateful smiles… and then it passed out again, thankfully continuing to breathe this time.

The memory faded to white once more, and now, Lucas could only see brief clips of memories. Spoon-feeding the weakened Sneasel as he held it in his arms. Being overjoyed when Sneasel fully recovered. Showing awe as Sneasel demonstrated its ability to use Shadow Claw on a stack of wooden logs. Sitting with Sneasel on the lookout platform of the lighthouse in Sunyshore City, savouring the salty air and the gorgeous view of the ocean as they chowed down on separate cups of ramen noodles topped with Tamato berry relish, Sneasel smartly using its claws in place of a fork.

And then there was that truly unforgettable memory of Sneasel standing victorious before Leader Candice's defeated Abomasnow, clutching the Razor Claw it had found on its journey with Lucas in its grasp, the Dark/Ice type suddenly glowing with a brilliant light, and then…

The final memory Lucas saw before he was brought back to the present was of the now evolved Weavile fast asleep on the living room couch at his home in Twinleaf Town, Johanna asleep beside it, the pair sort of leaning on each other. The two had stayed up late watching _Sinnoh Now!_ on TV while Lucas had popped over to Sandgem Town to pick up some groceries. Seeing his Mom and his cherished Pokémon companion getting along so well filled him with a happiness like no other.

The kind of happiness that was only matched by the sheer joy he had felt when on a journey with his beloved Pokémon.

And then he had gotten the 'brilliant' idea to start an egg farming scheme and had spiralled downwards until he had been reduced to essentially grovelling at Team Galactic's feet…

Lucas was speechless for a long moment as reality abruptly came back into focus. He was still knelt before Weavile, still holding that red scarf that he had so lovingly wrapped a dying Sneasel up in once upon a time. Finally, he found his voice.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly as he gently prised the scarf from the Pokémon's claws. "I know you want things to go back to the way they used to be, and… and so do I," he admitted at long last. He swallowed. "I'm not sure that's the way life works, though. Sometimes, we just have to accept that the past is gone, no matter how badly we might-"

"WEAVILE!" Weavile roared in tearful frustration, brandishing an accusing claw at its Trainer. "Weavile, Weavile! Weavile!"

"What d'you mean, 'stuck in a self-imposed rut'?! I know things haven't been perfect throughout the last few years, but we've at least a roof over our heads and a job that pays decently and-"

"Wea… VILE!" Weavile snarled, its tone ripe with outrage.

"Now, wait a minute!" Lucas snapped. "I have _not_ forsaken my mother, alright? How _dare_ you even _suggest_ such a-?"

"Weavile! Wea, Wea!"

"I've forsaken myself? Oh, now you're starting to sound like Maylene. She has no idea what I've been through, but I thought _you_ did! I mean, you were there!"

"Weavile!"

"Oh, _I'm_ pathetic? I'm not the one having a cry just because some sentimental feelings bubbled to the surface!"

"Weavile…" Weavile growled, glaring at Lucas warily as though the young man had suddenly taken some sinister turn.

"I'm talking like a Team Galactic grunt, you reckon? Well, newsflash - I _am_ a Team Galactic grunt, whether you like it or not!"

"Weavile! Weavile!"

"No, I _was_ a Trainer, and look where that got me, Weavile! Look where it has gotten the _both_ of us! Look at what I've become!"

"Weavile!"

"What d'you _mean_ , 'That's exactly the point'?"

"Weavile, Wea!"

"I've forgotten who I am?"

"Wea! Weavile!"

"I've become a mere shadow of my former self?"

"Wea! Vile!"

"Well, that's _your_ opinion, Weavile! And even if that was true, it's not like I can just drop everything and go back to the way things used to be! I have responsibilities! I have a job! I have to pay rent and pull my weight around here! I have to act as Maylene's glorified training dummy every night so you and I can sleep in here rather than out on the streets!"

 _"WEAVILE!"_

"I CAN'T, OKAY?! I _can't_ go home to Mom! D'you think she wants a disgraced Champion with a _criminal record_ to show up on her doorstep like nothing has happened? She doesn't even know I work for Team Galactic! I mean, how do you think she'd feel, knowing that her former criminal of a son is hanging around a bunch of other former criminals who behave like emotionless robots?"

"Wea…" Weavile said quietly, folding its arms and turning away, refusing to look at Lucas any longer. He sighed sadly, staring at the Pokémon's back.

"You're wrong. She _couldn't_ understand. It's been too long. I've… been away too long," Lucas mumbled, his eyes down. "If I show up on her doorstep now, she won't see her son. She'll just see a sad, strange little man not even worthy of her pity."

Weavile said nothing, having clearly decided that there was no getting through to its master. Lucas let our another sigh, a quieter one, and filed out of the room in silence, his scarf in hand. He thought he heard a strangled sob and the sound of chewing behind him, Weavile no doubt starting to eat its food to try, perhaps in vain, to quell its own stresses.

In fact, now that Lucas thought about it, a big bucket of Casteliacone ice cream would really hit the spot right about now...


	7. And Imperfect Snogging

Chapter 7

The coffee was bitter. Same as always.

The atmosphere in the break room was borderline static. Same as always.

Lucas looked miserably zoned out as he stood there in the corner, occasionally sipping at his coffee mug. Again, same as always.

The difference today was that Zinnia was beside him, azure wig and all, chatting away energetically about something, yet to notice that her words were falling on deaf ears. The young woman held her 'Delta' mug in both hands, clasping it almost lovingly as she continued to voice her opinions on Team Galactic as a whole aloud, either oblivious to, or just blatantly ignoring, the nearby grunts who were glaring at her.

"…And then they just stand there! _Menacingly!_ Seriously, they just stand there and stare at you while you're talking to them, scarcely moving a muscle or giving any indication that they're actually hearing what you're saying! At best, they'll just give a curt nod and take a sip from their coffee mugs without the slightest change of expression! It's freaky!"

Lucas stared straight ahead, completely disconnected from what was going on around him. He took a sip from his coffee mug without the slightest change of expression.

"Oh, for the love of…!" Zinnia exclaimed in exasperated disbelief. She removed one of her hands from around her coffee mug and clicked her fingers in front of Lucas' face. He blinked, finally roused from his mopey, trance-like stupor.

"Huh? Oh, sorry!" he said immediately when he saw that Zinnia was eyeing him with a mix of annoyance and concern on her face. "I didn't mean to ignore you like that. I just… Well, I had something on my mind."

Zinnia gazed in the direction Lucas had been vacantly staring and her face fell.

"Oh, no. Don't tell me you're actually sweet on ol' Garchomp Butt over there!" Zinnia practically shouted, causing Chrysalis, to whom Zinnia was referring, to look up from her coffee and bagel. Realising who had spoken, the supervisor let out an exasperated huff and took a bite out of her bagel, her eyes shifting left and right uncomfortably. Nobody aside from Zinnia noticed that last action, however.

"Would you _please_ stop drawing attention to yourself?" Lucas pleaded quietly. "Every time you do so, I end up getting caught in the fallout of the resulting staring!"

"Sticks and stones, Lucas. What's a little staring gonna do to you?" Zinnia said dismissively. "Besides, if they wanna stare at me, they can go right ahead!" she declared, raising her voice again as she spoke. "That's right, third guy from the left! I'm a woman! Believe it! And my body is NOT for sale!"

The grunt on the far side of the room whom Zinnia was addressing choked on his coffee. "Don't make me ill!" he called back snidely with a splutter.

"Ah, you gotta give 'em hell in the workplace, Luke. It's all in fun," Zinnia said with a grin, giving Lucas a playful slap on the back as he made to take another sip of his beverage, causing him to slop it down his front not unlike how Saturn had done the previous day.

"Zinnia, you really need to tone down your sass. You're gonna get yourself in trouble!"

Zinnia stared at him. "To be clear, you said 'sass', right? Not 'ass'? Because I'm pretty sure my ass isn't going to get any more or less toned at present."

Lucas' eyes widened. _"What?!"_

"I'm just _messing_ with you!" Zinnia elaborated with another grin, reaching up to ruffle the boy's short hair. "Oh, man, it's always the shy ones!"

"I'm not shy."

"No? Then why do you always stand here in the corner looking like you're trying to go unnoticed?"

"…It actually _worked_ until you came along."

Zinnia frowned for the first time since Lucas had met her. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Uh…" Lucas was horrified at himself. He hadn't meant to actually say that out loud. He wasn't entirely sure why he had even _thought_ it.

Zinnia set her mug down on the bench she had been leaning against and folded her arms. "You know, when I saw you for the first time, I thought to myself, 'That guy looks lonely. Bet he could use someone to talk to aside from these hive-minded Combee drones that laughingly try to pass themselves off as human beings'. So I came over to strike up a conversation. I even managed to get a few hearty chuckles out of you, and you looked like you hadn't had anything to laugh about for a long while. I thought I was making a good turn by reaching out to you, but if you'd rather wallow in some self-pity, then by all means, don't let little ol' _me_ cramp your style!" she declared, turning away.

Lucas sighed. "Look, Zinnia, I…" he began, trailing off. He didn't know what to say. Of course he didn't. When was the last time he'd actually _tried_ to be social? "I'm sorry, okay? I just… I just…"

"You just _what_ , Lucas?" Zinnia demanded without turning around.

"…Nothing," Lucas concluded softly. He hung his head. "Again, I'm sorry."

Zinnia glanced back at Lucas, watching as the boy moved along to the opposite corner of the room, his head down as he stood there, reaching into the collar of his Galactic uniform and pulling out something that was fastened around his neck on a thin piece of string. The young man stared at it sadly for a long moment before tucking it back out of sight. Even from across the room, Zinnia had recognised the object, with its natural white sheen, smooth surface and sharp edges.

A Razor Claw.

"Methinks Queen Chrysalis is not the _only_ one with a secret…" the young woman mused.

* * *

Two of the beds in the nap room were occupied as Lucas reached the top of the stairs. He couldn't help but glance at the faces of the sleeping female grunts. Their expressions looked so uncharacteristically peaceful as they slept - a far cry from the usual disciplined stares they bore when awake. The boy knew that he ought not to be staring at them, lest one of the women were to open her eyes and get the wrong idea, but it was just so… _refreshing_ to behold.

"Oh, get your head out of the clouds!" he exclaimed aloud to himself. The two sleeping grunts immediately awoke at his shout, one sitting bolt upright with a startled gasp, the other simply opening her eyes, her serene look now replaced with an annoyed one.

"Courier," the less jumpy of the girls mused dully. "Don't you have something better to do than shatter the quiet atmosphere of the nap room?"

"Yeah, you almost gave us a heart attack!" the startled grunt snapped.

"He almost gave _you_ a heart attack, Melinda," the calm grunt corrected her, "Because _you_ haven't been attending the yoga sessions that are now part of the Team Galactic fitness program."

"You _know_ what I think of that 'new age' nonsense, Minerva. Inner equilibrium indeed... The last time I saw someone bend their spine back _that_ far, they ended up in a wheel chair for the rest of their natural life!"

"I should probably be going…" Lucas mumbled awkwardly, quickly striding towards the next room while the grunts weren't focused on him.

"Why do so many people miss the point of yoga? All I hear is, 'Oh, ow, it hurts! How is this supposed to be relaxing? It's making my muscles ache!' Maybe if you'd actually do some morning stretches now and then instead of just going straight to the bathroom mirror to apply six layers of make-up…"

"Don't tell me how to handle my mornings! I do an honest day's work for an honest day's pay, and I certainly didn't need to _meditate_ to master my routine!"

"Jeez, why don't you two just _kiss_ already?" Lucas muttered under his breath from the next room.

"I heard that!" one of the women called after him, prompting the boy to hastily head up the next staircase before anything else could happen.

Lucas glanced down at the small briefcase he carried, noting the high-tech locks on it. Each lock required a different code to open it, and only the higher-ups of Team Galactic had access to such codes.

And yet, despite the security measures in place, Lucas felt uneasy carrying the metallic grey case branded with the Team Galactic logo. He didn't even know exactly what was inside. Documents, blueprints, money… Whatever it was, Commander Saturn was expecting it, and Lucas didn't want to _think_ about what might happen to him if he misplaced something so obviously important.

"Lucifer!"

Lucas turned to see Chrysalis striding towards him. Was it his imagination or did her static hairdo seem just a little lopsided? She stopped before him and held out her hand. "I'll take that from here. I need to see Commander Saturn about something anyway."

Lucas nodded automatically, but as he started to hold the briefcase out to the stern-faced woman, something made him hesitate. "Um, I was given explicit instructions to deliver it directly to the Commander," he pointed out uncertainly.

"Then it's a good thing I caught up to you when I did, Luigi," the Supervisor told him sternly. "There's been a change of plans for you. You're to proceed to the ground floor and await further instructions from me and no one else."

"But-"

"But nothing, Lyle!" Chrysalis snapped, very suddenly snatching the case from the boy's grasp. "Do not forget that I am your Supervisor! You would do well to take my instructions to heart." With that, she marched past Lucas, muttering to herself as she went. Lucas stared after her, shocked and a little shaken. He felt that he ought to say something, and the first thing that came to mind was:

"My name is Lucas, not… whatever names you said!" He blurted out in a half-hearted exclamation, but Chrysalis had already rounded the corner and was out of earshot. Lucas then frowned. The corner Chrysalis had taken led _away_ from Saturn's office, and she had made no attempt to correct her course. In fact, her footsteps were growing distant. Had she simply stormed off in a huff like some spoiled brat? No, that wouldn't be acceptable behaviour from a Supervisor. Something was off here, but Lucas couldn't quite put his finger on what. All he knew was that he had been given very clear instructions on what to do with that briefcase before being confronted by Chrysalis, who had practically wrestled it out of his hands. She hadn't just offered to take it for him.

She had _wanted_ to take it _from_ him.

And Lucas knew he had to find out why. His job could depend on it for all he knew.

The boy crept along the steely, almost foreboding corridors, making sure to keep quiet. Finally, he could hear hushed voices coming from a room whose door stood ever-so-slightly ajar. He tip-toed up to it and peered through the opening with one eye.

Chrysalis was standing with her back to him, typing away on a laptop, speaking softly as she did so. Lucas could pick out only a few words, but she sounded like she was conversing with someone.

"…The codes, but I'm sure I'll get… soon enough. Just… see what I can…"

And then another voice spoke sharply, making both Chrysalis and Lucas jump, startled by the sudden rise in volume. It took Lucas a moment to realise that the voice was emanating from the laptop.

"Do not just _see_ what you can do, Chrysalis - _get it done_ , and _soon_. My people are all but depending on the information you _claim_ to have access to, and we will not respond lightly to- Wait a moment. Move aside for a second."

Chrysalis moved away from the laptop and Lucas could see a face on the screen that looked like some kind of armoured cyborg, a seemingly permanent frown etched on its partially concealed face. The robotic face seemed to be staring intently in his direction. Lucas tensed. Could it see him staring back at it through the doorway?

A hand suddenly clasped over Lucas' mouth from behind, his panicked cry muffled as he was spun around by his attacker's other hand to see Zinnia's familiar face. " _Don't make a sound,"_ she mouthed. Terrified, the boy nodded, having no idea what she was doing here all of a sudden. Lucas suddenly heard approaching footsteps from inside the room.

"Who's there?" Chrysalis called out, her voice a little shaky. Lucas felt a knot tighten in his stomach. It didn't help when Zinnia suddenly leaned forward so that she was almost nose-to-nose with him, her piercing red eyes locked onto his grey ones.

"Kiss me," she whispered hurriedly.

Before Lucas had any chance to process what he had just heard, Zinnia's arms were around his neck and her lips were firmly locked against his. She pushed him back so he was pressed up against the wall. He wanted to break away, completely and utterly mortified at this point, but in the fleeting moment before Chrysalis' footsteps reached the door and flung it open, he caught on.

This was their alibi.

In the same moment Chrysalis burst out into the corridor, Lucas shut his eyes and opened his mouth a little wider to allow Zinnia's tongue, which had been pressing repeatedly against his teeth, to enter. She certainly wasn't afraid to play it to the hills. Zinnia started to feign little moans of pleasure and Lucas followed suit as Chrysalis watched, grinning deviously at the sight of them.

"Takes all kinds," the Supervisor mused before clearing her throat loudly. "Alright, break it up, lovebirds! Remember, this is a workplace! Save it for quitting time!"

Zinnia abruptly withdrew her tongue just as Lucas was starting to get accustomed to the feel of it in his mouth (grudging as he was to admit that). The pair broke the kiss off and Zinnia, still milking the charade for all it was worth, lovingly stroked Lucas' cheek with her palm, smiling at him warmly. "Usual place after work?" she asked sweetly, batting her eyelashes at him.

"Uh, only if you think you can handle it… babe," Lucas barely managed, a part of him wondering if Chrysalis was really buying it, another part of him very aware that Zinnia's mouth had tasted decidedly minty.

As Zinnia and Lucas walked away, Zinnia leant close to the boy and whispered to him, "Just so we're clear, that kiss was for Chrysalis' benefit, not yours."

"Yeah, I got that," Lucas responded before adding, "I think."

Zinnia rolled her eyes, but as she glanced away from Lucas, she couldn't help smirking, a very faint tinge of red appearing on her cheeks...


	8. To Mars And Back

Chapter 8

Maylene stepped outside the Veilstone Gym, a large wooden sign in hand. The Gym Leader propped it up next to the doorway. It read:

 _TODAY'S CHALLENGE:_

 _DOUBLE BATTLES_

 _See Inside For Details_

As Maylene stood back to admire the sign for a brief moment, her hands on her hips, she heard what sounded like a sigh. She glanced up and could see a familiar pair of grey-furred feet, each tipped with three ivory white claws, dangling over the entrance of the building.

"I see you sitting up there, Weavile," the Gym Leader called. Weavile responded by pulling its feet up onto the roof and out of sight. Maylene shook her head. "Are you really going to mope around up there all day?"

"Weavile," came the weary-sounding reply.

"Look, I know you and Lucas had a row last night. I get that you're still upset, but sitting around feeling sorry for yourself isn't going to solve anything."

"…Vile."

Maylene let out an exasperated sigh. "Well, if you can't manage to buck up and come down here within the next ten minutes, then I'm coming up there," she warned, "And if you're thinking of making a run for it across the rooftops, I'm more than happy to chase after you. Yes, even barefoot. I've got the legs of an Ampharos."

The faint sound of sniggering could be heard from up on the roof.

"I… I meant in terms of athleticism!" Maylene spluttered, her face growing hot. "Should've known that'd get taken out of context," she muttered as she turned and filed back into her Gym.

A soft, throaty grunt greeted Maylene as she made her way back to her Gym Leader podium, which she took a seat upon before producing a Rage Candy Bar from her pocket. She turned to gaze upon her Lucario, who stood beside the podium, watching her in a vigilant - but not imposing - sort of way.

"It'll be fine," Maylene told the Fighting/Steel type as she unwrapped the chocolate bar. "Weavile, I mean. It's a little stubborn, and definitely a real smart-aleck at times, but hey, that's an Ice type for you," she declared, allowing a faint smirk to play at the corners of her mouth for a split second. "Want half?" she then asked, indicating at the candy bar in her hand.

Lucario grunted again, giving a curt yet polite nod. Maylene broke the candy bar in half, removed half of it from the wrapper and passed it into the Aura Pokémon's waiting paw. The bipedal creature chewed the chocolate quietly and with a distinct air of dignity and discipline. Maylene, on the other hand, just bit into her share casually, relaxing a little as she sat there. While the Gym Leader of Veilstone City made it a point to carry herself with a somewhat tough demeanour in the presence of others, she knew she could let her guard down a little around Lucario. It was probably her closest and most trusted friend… even if it _was_ rather stoic more often than not.

After a long moment of eating in silence (give or take the sound of chewing), Maylene let out a sigh, leaning back slightly on her podium.

"Sometimes I envy Candice," she said, speaking more to herself than Lucario. "She really knows how to get through to Ice types. She knows how they think, what to expect from them. Me? I tend to look at ice the same way I look at a wooden plank propped up on two cinderblocks. I ask myself, 'What's the quickest way to break through this obstacle?'" She gave a short, cynical chuckle. "Clearly I need to have a little more sympathy."

Lucario said nothing, having finished its share of chocolate and was now waiting for Maylene to look away so it could lick any remaining traces of candy from its paws without the embarrassment of being seen doing so.

"I don't see eye to eye with Candice on a lot of things. I suppose that's a given, seeing as she's all about Ice whereas I'm all about Fighting - we have a bad type matchup."

Lucario raised an eyebrow.

"What's _that_ look supposed to infer?" Maylene demanded, noticing the Aura Pokémon's reaction to her words. "What, you think we've got some sort of petty rivalry going on or something? Don't make me laugh! She's not even worth the effort. You should've heard what she was saying the last time I saw her at the Battleground tavern over on Frontier Island! She was so unbelievably cocky! I gave her a piece of my mind, and then…"

Maylene's face fell.

"And then we got into an argument, in which I said some pretty nasty things to her in retrospect. I… I actually almost drove her to tears." Maylene let what was left of her candy bar fall to the floor and put her head in her hands. "Oh, Arceus, what was I _thinking_ , saying something like _that_ about her family? I must've really let her get to me." She then shook her head. "No, that's no excuse. I went too far. She left on the verge of tears while I just sat there with my arms folded like a brat. We haven't spoken to each other since. I haven't even _seen_ her since before we took Lucas in." The Gym Leader sighed again, her eyes focused on the floor. "I _definitely_ need to show more sympathy."

Maylene looked up from her remorseful stance at the sound of slow, dragged-out footsteps to see Weavile stepping up to her, its arms at its sides.

"Oh!" Maylene said quickly, jerking upright and trying to look more together. "Yes, um… Good talk, Lucario. Good talk," she babbled, hastily recalling the Fighting/Steel type back into its Pokéball before addressing the waiting Dark/Ice type directly. "Well, nice to see that you've joined the rest of us on the ground floor."

"Wea. Weavile."

"Still not in the best of moods, I see." Maylene got to her feet. "Come on. You can help me mix up some protein smoothies… and maybe some Poffin batter later if I have enough berries left."

"Weavile?"

"Oh, intrigued all of a sudden, are we? Yes, it's not very often that I make Poffins, I'm aware."

"Weavile."

"I'll have you know that I'm pretty decent at cooking, actually. Who d'you think taught Lucas to make Tamato berry relish properly?"

"Wea?"

"It's true. You can even ask him when he turns in later."

"Weavile…"

"And before you ask, no, I'm not letting you lick the batter off the spoon."

"Vile!"

"Yes, it certainly _is_ vile. And besides… ladies first," Maylene concluded with a sly smirk.

"Weavile!"

* * *

"We should tell him."

"Tell who? And about what?"

Zinnia stared at Lucas. "Sometimes I worry about you," she decided. "Saturn! We've gotta tell Saturn!"

"You mean about Chrysalis?"

"Ding, ding, ding! And the contestant gets a prize!" Zinnia exclaimed, playfully slugging Lucas in the shoulder. "Good to see you're still on the ball to at least _some_ degree!"

"Do you think he'll believe us? I mean, we don't have any proof, and it's our word against our Supervisor's."

"No, it's _your_ word against hers," Zinnia corrected him as they marched down the corridor towards Saturn's office. "Come on, you don't expect him to take _me_ seriously after I laughed at him for not being able to handle his coffee, do you? You know these Galactic goons have no sense of humour."

"What? Me?! Why would he trust _me_ even over you? At least you're an actual Galactic grunt! I'm just the courier!"

"Well, you've been working here a lot longer than I have! Even longer than Chrysalis from what I've heard! And if you've been on the payroll longer than your own Supervisor, the boss has got to at least hear you out!"

"But-"

"Lucas, look at me! _Look at me!"_ Zinnia told him, placing her hands on his shoulders to stop him in his tracks, looking him directly in the eyes. "You matter, alright? I know it's easy to feel small in the workplace, but…" The girl glanced away for a moment, biting her lip. "I saw you earlier. I saw you with your Razor Claw necklace, how you were staring at it sadly. You're hurting, Lucas. I don't know exactly why or for how long, but you've been hurting inside. I know because I, too, have been hurting inside for a long time, but if there's one thing I've learned, it's that you can't let your hurt weigh you down, not when there's something important you need to do, something that you _must_ do to make a difference! For those you love! For the world! And for you right now, that something is marching into Saturn's office, looking him straight in the eye and telling him that Chrysalis... is a narc!"

Lucas stared at her. "A narc?" he repeated, dumbfounded. "Are… Are you serious right now?"

"Well, okay, maybe not necessarily a narc, but she's got _something_ going on that she doesn't want anyone else to know about, and that alone speaks volumes."

Lucas reached into his uniform and pulled out the Razor Claw again, gazing at it while Zinnia kept on talking. She was right. He _was_ hurting. He hadn't known anything other than hurt for a long time. A hurtful sadness. He had let it surround him, shape him, define him.

And with time, he has passed that hurt onto Weavile, along with all of his Pokémon, family, friends and associates. He had been so caught up in feeling sorry for himself and wallowing in self-pity that he'd never stopped to think about how that was truly impacting those he cared about. He had told himself that he could protect them from that sadness, but all he had been doing was isolating himself in a way that only ensured everyone's sadness.

And now, Weavile was upset with him, Maylene was sick of his attitude, Johanna was probably heartbroken by his self-imposed exile from home and his only friend was a crazy girl who had decided to attach herself to him, whether he wanted her to or not.

And yet, that crazy girl was a voice of reason for him right now, as odd as that might sound. She was determined to be there for him, even if that meant driving him up the wall, drawing unwanted attention to him and even stealing a kiss from him just so they could both save face.

She _was_ crazy. VERY crazy, but she had a good heart, for as wild as she was.

"…So, are you ready to make a difference for yourself and others, to stand out and be the person you need to be?" Zinnia enquired, gesturing to the door with the glass window on it at the end of the corridor.

Lucas tucked the Razor Claw back out of sight. "I'll… I'll try," he said, straightening his collar.

Lucas walked up to the door, Zinnia at his side. About halfway to the door, he felt Zinnia take his hand and gently squeeze it, no doubt trying to offer comfort while keeping whatever little confidence he had stable. They stopped outside Saturn's office, Lucas running a hand over his short, spiky hair.

"How do I look?" he asked, trying not to sound nervous.

"Presentable."

"Do I smell alright?"

Zinnia shrugged. "You don't hear _me_ complaining."

"Is there anything in my teeth?"

Zinnia smiled knowingly at him. "Want me to kiss you again and see if I can get it out with my tongue?"

"N-No, that's… That won't be necessary."

"You're stalling."

"Am I?"

"I'm going to kiss you again."

"No, you're not."

"I will if you don't get in that office."

"You're bluffing."

Zinnia chuckled. "You actually _want_ me to kiss you again, don't you?"

"I'd sooner kiss a Salamence."

"I can arrange that, and I'm _not_ bluffing in that regard," Zinnia told him, holding up a Pokéball. "Granted, I don't think a Salamence would fit in this hallway…"

Lucas shifted uncomfortably, looking awkward. Zinnia shook her head in exasperation, but couldn't help smiling.

"Just get in there."

Lucas knocked on the door before opening it partially, Zinnia stepping back and giving the boy a thumbs up as he glanced back at her one last time before facing forward, clearing his throat.

"Commander Saturn, sir, do you have a moment? I must speak with you."

"Ah, Lucas," the calm voice of Saturn responded. "I've been expecting you."

"You have?" Lucas asked as he stepped into the office and closed the door behind him, surprised. His surprise didn't last long, however, rapidly fading along with his already lacking confidence as he saw who was standing beside Saturn's desk, leaning against the wall, her arms folded, a small, knowing smirk on her face.

Chrysalis.

"…Oh," was all Lucas could bring himself to say after a long moment of silence. He swallowed nervously, feeling beads of sweat beginning to form on his forehead. Chrysalis chuckled at the sight of him. There was something noticeably cold about that chuckle, even for a member of Team Galactic.

"I'm afraid you're a little too late, Lucas. Miss Chrysalis has already told me everything," Saturn stated.

Lucas sagged slightly. That was that then. Chrysalis had written him up for spying on her, and now he was in the hot seat with the boss himself.

That didn't explain why his boss appeared to be… smiling?

"I was once a man in your position, Lucas, for as difficult to believe as that may be," Saturn said, pouring himself a small glass of bourbon as he spoke. "I, too, was apprehensive of how my peers in the workplace would react."

Lucas blinked. Clearly, he was missing something. "I'm not sure I understand, sir," he admitted.

"Chrysalis, would you be so kind as to leave us? I think this situation is best handled with a private man-to-man talk."

"Understood, sir," Chrysalis responded with a curt nod before marching over to the door, giving Lucas a sly wink as she passed - an action that completely perplexed the young man - and making her exit. Once she was gone, Saturn exhaled deeply before pouring a second glass of alcohol and offering it to Lucas. Remembering his experience from last time, Lucas took a seat, but didn't drink from the glass he now held. He had to know what this was about before he could even consider relaxing.

"Lucas, allow me to tell you a short story," Saturn said, pausing to take another sip from his glass before continuing. "A few years ago, when I first took charge of Team Galactic in the absence of Cyrus, my newly appointed position garnered a, shall we say, _mixed_ response from my fellow Commanders, with one of them in particular being especially uncertain of what to think of me now that I was, to all intents and purposes, her superior. Yes, she certainly lived up to the stereotype of the feisty redhead, if I may be so bold."

Lucas' eyes widened a little as he realised whom the Commander was referring to. "You're talking about Commander Mars," he summarised.

"The very same, though I suppose _Ex-Commander_ would be more fitting, given that she no longer stands amongst our ranks. In fact, Lucas, you could say that she's my ex in more ways than one."

Lucas was sure that if he had taken a sip of his drink, he would've spat it out in mortified shock. "Ex? As in, ex-girlfriend?!" he spluttered in disbelief. "You're joking, right?"

Saturn chuckled. "I'm well aware of how cliché it must sound, the calm, confident Commander and the feisty, troublesome Commander growing close in an 'opposites attract' sort of way. Mars always held Cyrus in high esteem, albeit for all the wrong reasons, and when he disappeared, she was left without a mentor to look up to. I… took pity on her, I suppose," the Commander admitted, setting his glass down. "When she realised that I felt sympathy for her, Mars latched onto that sympathy almost immediately, with it becoming a new driving force for her. I believe she started to see her former mentor and boss within me, and quickly grew eager to be taken under my wing. At one point, I thought I actually heard her mutter something to the effect of 'Notice me, Senpai'."

Lucas couldn't help but guffaw at that. He stopped when he saw how serious Saturn looked. "Oh, um, sorry," he mumbled awkwardly.

"Admittedly, it was a little uncomfortable to behold at first, but as time went on, Mars grew more relaxed, more confident in herself and her abilities. It was no exaggeration to say that she was becoming a model employee… and an endearing companion," Saturn admitted. "We started to date, and it was honestly the happiest I'd ever seen her. I genuinely believed that she was growing as a person mentally and emotionally."

"…But it didn't work out?" Lucas guessed.

"Indeed not. Once it became clear to Mars that I was taking Team Galactic in a new direction, that I had no intention of following in Cyrus' example, the relaxed, confident and happy new Mars I thought my influence had been bringing to the surface… was gone in a heartbeat. She rapidly regressed into a bratty, childlike mentality, renounced her relationship with me and ran away into the night. I've heard nothing of her since," Saturn concluded.

Lucas said nothing. He honestly didn't know _what_ to say. He didn't even know why Saturn was telling him any of this. it was so deep, so… personal.

"Still, I went forward with the belief that I shouldn't let one bad experience sour my view of workplace relationships as a whole, which brings me full circle to my point today, Lucas," Saturn stated. "As long as you and Zinnia both continue to do an honest day's work…"

"Wait, what? _What?!"_ Lucas almost shrieked. Was _this_ what Chrysalis had been telling Saturn, that he (Lucas) and Zinnia were having some sort of office fling?

Lucas then face-palmed, immediately piecing it all together. _Of course_ Chrysalis would think that. That was the whole point of the kiss he and Zinnia had staged, but Lucas hadn't counted on his Supervisor blabbing it to his boss and Arceus knows who else! And now Saturn was comparing Lucas and Zinnia to himself and Mars? Gross!

"No, no, no, you've got… You've got it all wrong!" Lucas spluttered insistently. "Me and Zinnia… We're _not_ a package deal! Not even close! We were just…" His face fell as he realised that he didn't have a leg to stand on in this argument. "We were just snogging. Enthusiastically. In full view. With our arms around one another. Real low-key stuff, in retrospect," he finished dully.

Saturn chuckled again. "Drink your bourbon, Lucas. You'll feel better," he told him.

"At this stage, I think I'll need the entire bottle," Lucas muttered under his breath.

* * *

"So, how did it go?"

"How did it go? _How did it go?_ That's practically what he was asking _me_ about our snogging, Zinnia!" Lucas snapped, the young man's arms thrown up and flailing wildly as he paced around the break room. "He thinks I'm a total ladies' man! And the worst part is that Chrysalis is telling everyone who'll listen!"

"Yeah, I noticed she was getting more than a few laughs out of her fellow grunts," Zinnia said, nodding, her hands resting behind her head. "I take it Saturn didn't believe what _you_ had to say?"

"I didn't even _try_ to tell him what I knew about Chrysalis! There's no _way_ he'd believe me now!"

"And that's exactly why she's spreading gossip about you to the ears of every person she can reach with that Seviper tongue of hers," Zinnia stated. "She's undermining you because she's _afraid_ of you, Lucas. She's afraid that you know her secret."

"Well, she's got nothing to fear now. We've got nothing, _nothing_ , as long as she's got the Commander on her side!"

"Wasn't the whole point of snitching on her to get the Commander _off_ her side?" Zinnia asked, raising an eyebrow. "All you had to do was actually open your mouth in there instead of letting Saturn and old Garchomp Butt make a laughingstock of you."

Lucas stared at her, a mildly deranged look in his eye. "You know what? Shut up. Just _shut up_ , Zinnia!" he snapped. "You're the reason I'm in this mess, you know! I was perfectly happy keeping my head down and my mouth shut and then _you_ come along to make sure the whole dang world knows my name, my face and how much of a living joke I am!"

Zinnia snorted. "From what I gathered, you were more like perfectly _unhappy_ ," she stated, "And from the sound of it, you were already a living joke in your own mind. You've got a real bad attitude, and I saw that right away."

"My attitude doesn't change anything!" Lucas exclaimed, his voice rising. "My attitude _won't_ change anything either way because at this point, I've got nothing to work with! No integrity, no dignity-"

"And no self-respect," Zinnia finished for him. "Wake up, Lucas! You tell yourself that you're in a rut because you're unhappy, but really you're unhappy because you're in a rut!"

"What's the difference?"

"The difference is that you have the power to break out of this rut of yours at any time, but you won't because you've grown so accustomed to being in a rut that you're afraid of change!"

"Yeah? Well, things _have_ changed for me lately! I met you and look where _that's_ gotten me!"

Zinnia gasped, hurt by his words. She bit her lip, forcing herself to speak with a steady calm. "Well… if that's the way you feel, I'll just… I'll just get out of your way, shall I?" she said, starting for the exit, stopping at the doorway to glance back at him. "You know, you were my first friend here in Sinnoh. I just hope for your sake that I'm not your last."

"I… Zinnia, wait a second!" Lucas called after her pleadingly, already starting to regret his outburst, but the crimson-eyed girl was already gone.


	9. Behind Crimson Eyes

Chapter 9

"Hmm. Yep. Okay. Thank you. I'm really glad we could have this talk. Okay, bye."

Maylene hung up, putting her PokéGear away as Lucas walked into the Gym, still in uniform. The boy noticed as he approached that the Gym Leader seemed to have a tear in her eye.

"Anything wrong?" he asked as Maylene quickly wiped the tear away, realising what he was looking at.

"I… I just got off the phone with Candice," the Gym Leader admitted. "She and I… We haven't spoken for a while, so… I thought it was time to give her a call. I actually got quite a lot off my chest to her, and vice versa. We're meeting for coffee in Hearthome City next Wednesday."

"Sounds like the Fighting type expert is looking to… _break the ice_ ," Lucas said slyly, smirking at his lame pun. "You know, because Candice is an Ice type Gym Leader?"

"Hilarious," Maylene said, unamused. "And how about you, funny man? How was your day?"

Lucas' smirk immediately faded. "Don't ask," he said.

"Another weird day?" Maylene guessed.

"Weirder."

"Well, that's the Team Galactic workplace for you. Do yourself a favour and change out of that uniform."

"The usual spot?"

"The usual spot."

"Five minutes?"

"…Make it ten," Maylene told him. "I'm going to go… check on something."

"You're going to pick out your outfit for Wednesday, aren't you?"

"Oh, mind your own business," Maylene told him as she got up and walked away, her cheeks reddening slightly. Lucas gave a brief chuckle, returning to looking miserable once his hostess was gone. He then noticed that Maylene's PokéGear had fallen out of her back pocket, now resting on her Gym Leader podium. Lucas stared at it, an idea forming in his mind.

A few minutes later, Lucas was crouched in the corner of the kitchen, not wanting to be overheard as he punched a number into Maylene's phone. He held it up to his ear and waited. It was ringing.

"Hello, Mom? It's me, Lucas. I-" Lucas began hopefully, but his face fell when he heard not his mother's voice, but an operator's pre-recorded message.

 _"The person you have called is currently unavailable. Please try again later."_

Lucas sadly hung up, his attempt to mend his ties with Johanna, who was essentially estranged to him by this point, proving to have been in vain. The boy then noticed Weavile standing by the fridge, a leftover Combusken drumstick held in its clawed appendage. The Sharp Claw Pokémon tilted its head, its tone curious and humbled as it spoke.

"Weavile?" it asked quietly.

Lucas hesitated. "Well, yes, I _was_ trying to call Mom," he admitted, "But I couldn't get through to her. I guess she's not home… or something."

"Weavile," Weavile mused, starting towards its master, drumstick still in hand. It stopped before Lucas and stared up at him. "Weavile, Wea?" it asked, offering him the drumstick.

Lucas chuckled. "No, that's okay. You eat it. It'll do you more good than it would me."

"Weavile…" Weavile took a bite out of the cold Combusken leg, chewing with its mouth closed as it watched its Trainer carefully. After a moment, Lucas slumped down into a sitting position, letting out a sad sigh.

"I'm sorry, Weavile," he said. "I'm sorry I said all those things last night. I… I know things haven't been going all that great for us… or between us, for that matter, but I… I want to make things better. Really, I do. I just don't really know where to start."

Weavile hesitated, and then it came and sat down beside its master. "Weavile!" it declared with a small smile, giving Lucas a playful nudge in the arm.

"Maybe I already have just now? Thanks, Weavile," Lucas said, reaching behind the Dark/Ice type's head to gently scratch the fur under its crimson crest. Weavile closed its eyes for a moment, enjoying the sensation. Then it opened its eyes and took another bite out of the drumstick. It chewed and swallowed the meat, looking thoughtful.

"Weavile."

"It's missing something, you say? You read my mind," Lucas said knowingly, getting to his feet. He walked over to the fridge and pulled out a familiar jar filled with a familiar orange paste. Weavile grinned eagerly, prompting Lucas to smile in response.

A few minutes later, Maylene walked into the kitchen to find Lucas and Weavile snacking on an _entire platter_ of leftover Combusken drumsticks, the pair taking turns to dip and double dip their respective snacks into the container of Tamato berry relish, looking like they were having the time of their lives as they sat there on the floor.

"Hey, you can't have that one! _I_ wanted that one!" Lucas teased as Weavile picked up another drumstick. Weavile responded by dipping the drumstick into the sauce and then proceeding to cheekily rub the end of it against Lucas' cheek, smearing the orange paste all along the young man's face. Lucas laughed and pulled his Pokémon into a playful headlock. They then both became aware that the Gym Leader was watching them with a raised eyebrow, a devious smirk playing at the corners of her mouth.

"And here I am without a camera," she said mischievously. "Alright, which one of you messy eaters has my phone?"

Lucas picked up the PokéGear that had been resting on the floor beside him and tossed it to Maylene, who caught it smartly.

"You know what? No martial arts training tonight. Just seeing you two smiling and having fun for a change is good enough for me."

"Care to join us?" Lucas offered, gesturing to the food platter in front of them with his foot. "There's still a few drumsticks left. Better grab one now before a certain someone eats them all."

"Weavile! Wea, Wea!"

"Oh, come on, you know I'm just messing with you, buddy," Lucas told Weavile, giving the Dark/Ice type a friendly slap on the back.

Maylene shook her head in knowing amusement. "You two really are made for each other, you know that?" she said as she sat down with them. "You're both annoying, you eat like a pair of Munchlax, you're both annoying…"

"You said annoying twice."

"That's because you're twice as annoying as you are gluttons."

"Yeah, 'cause the big, bad Fighting type Gym Leader has never eaten like there's no tomorrow," Lucas exclaimed sarcastically. "You should've seen yourself chowing down on those noodles I made the other night! I watched you and thought, 'Is that Maylene, or did I accidentally leave the bowl of noodles in close proximity to a turbo-charged paper shredder?'"

Weavile burst out laughing at its master's comment, banging the drumstick it held against the floor in mirth, splattering relish everywhere.

"Hey, watch it!" Maylene exclaimed as some of the orange paste splattered on her bare arms. "Oh, to heck with it," she then decided as Lucas and Weavile both laughed at her expense. "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em." With that, she picked up a drumstick, rolled it back and forth along her arms to gather up the specks of sauce and then took a big, greedy bite out of the snack, chewing with her mouth open and letting out a small burp after swallowing. "Was that gluttonous enough for you?" she asked.

Weavile's only response was to let out an ear-splitting belch of its own, which drove the Pokémon and pair of humans into a fit of rambunctious laughter. None of them noticed Maylene's Lucario at the doorway, silently watching the group with its arms folded and a knowing smirk not unlike its Trainer's on its face.

* * *

As night fell over Veilstone City and the neon streetlights automatically began to flicker to life, a lone figure could be seen standing outside the Pokémon Centre, leaning casually against a section of the building's polished front wall, right next to the automatic double doors. She was dressed in a rather wild-looking black top branded with what looked like deep red crescent moons, with said symbols positioned directly over her moderate-sized breasts. Dark grey shorts that put the 'short' in short shorts garbed her lower body, a makeshift belt of deep crimson nylon rope keeping said shorts up, tied around the young woman's waist. Long, white socks that reached almost all the way up kept her legs warm in the cool evening air, yet her toes were exposed to the elements at the end of her dark grey footwear, which seemed to be a hybrid of boots and sneakers. A strange blue trinket was seemingly coiled around her right ankle. The most outlandish part of the girl's attire by far, however, was her cape.

Torn and even slightly charred in places, this ragged white cape was nonetheless stylish in a very rugged sort of way. It smelt faintly of smoke and brimstone, but that somehow just made it seem all the more cool and flashy.

Zinnia looked almost like an entirely different person out of her Team Galactic uniform. Her cyan wig gone, her shoulder-length deep black hair now hung freely down around her cheeks, her bangs making her seem mysterious in a decidedly captivating way. Her piercingly beautiful crimson eyes seemed to have lost some of their usual wild spark tonight, however, and her mouth had gone from a playful, almost feral smirk to a thin line that suggested boredom and a hint of bitterness.

With an exasperated sigh, Zinnia reached into the small pocket of her shorts and pulled out a lighter and a packet of menthol cigarettes, removing one of the thin white sticks from the box and placing it in the corner of her mouth. She lit the cigarette and took a cautious puff, letting her breath out in a wisp of smoke that was tainted with manmade chemicals. If Rayquaza could see her now, it probably wouldn't be too happy about her contribution to the hole in the ozone layer.

"It's been a while since I resorted to smoking one of these to wind down after a stressful day," Zinnia mused quietly. She sighed again. "Darn that Lucas. So caught up in his own miserable little bubble that he can't see the forest through the trees."

The young woman took another puff of her cigarette, letting out another wisp of smoke just as someone walked past. Zinnia noticed the man cover his nose and mouth with his hand as he went. She was tempted to make a snarky quip, such as saying there was plenty more smoke where that came from, but she resisted the urge. She knew from experience that her outfit alone attracted enough attention by itself, and while Zinnia was no stranger to readily talking herself into, out of and right back into trouble again, she wasn't in the mood for any nonsense right now.

Another puff. Another wisp. The scent of menthol was starting to hang heavily on the air around her, and Zinnia, in her stubborn, moody state, was only too happy to inhale it straight back into her body through her nose, which might not have been her best idea, because the sharp intake of smoke sent her into a coughing fit. Zinnia hadn't been a smoker for all that long, so her cough hadn't yet developed that telltale throaty wheeze that signified severe lung damage, but even she knew, in that moment, that she was pushing her luck.

"Didn't taste very good anyway," the girl muttered as she threw the cigarette away. She then glanced around, soon spotting the Veilstone Department Store building not too far away. She placed a hand on her hip, staring at it thoughtfully. "I could use a mint after that, and maybe a Soda Pop," she decided.

The double doors of the department store slid open with a soft _ding_ of a chime as Zinnia approached, and as she stepped inside, she let out a low, impressed whistle as she took in her surroundings. She hadn't been on a casual shopping spree since… well, ever. Her youth had been dedicated to the training that was tied to her Draconid heritage, so she hadn't really had time for leisurely pleasures. No, she'd had to make her own fun while still going about fulfilling her duty as a key factor in this sorry planet's continued existence, making light of the overwhelmingly pressuring circumstances of her life while staying true to her teachings and, by extension, her destiny nonetheless.

"Wow, this place is _ni-i-ice_ ," she trilled in that feigned lighthearted tone she was so used to using, that jaunty, almost bubbly facade that she imagined the staff of this very store had to put on every day for every run-of-the-mill slack-jawed hillbilly of a tourist that came lumbering in here looking for Pokéballs, Full Restores and directions to the nearest restroom. The very thought of working in a place like this filled Zinnia with disdain.

Not that working for Team Galactic was any better...

"Save it," the chosen Lorekeeper said as she approached the main service desk, holding up a hand to silence the clerk before she could offer up an undoubtedly well-rehearsed friendly greeting. "Just tell me if you guys sell any cold drinks."

"Well, we do have a couple of soda vending machines on the top floor. If you like, I could recommend-" the clerk began, but Zinnia was already striding away from her, approaching the elevator in the corner. A sign hanging on its red doors proclaimed that it was temporarily out of order, prompting the Draconid to bite back an irritable curse-ridden mutter that threatened to roll off her tongue. Her face a deadpan mask of coldness, she stepped onto the escalator opposite the lift and let it slowly, meticulously take her up to the next floor.

Unable to summon the energy to tap her foot impatiently, Zinnia stood as still as a statue until she finally felt her feet pressing against the metal flaps at the top of the escalator. Letting a glorified conveyer belt ferry her from one level of height to another was just… _tedious_ , especially in comparison to soaring the skies on the back of a Salamence, the wind whipping at her hair, reaching up with her arm to put her hand in a could as she flew under it, feeling its moisture… Was this what normal people did, people who didn't have to spend every waking moment thinking about how they were going to one day stop a meteoroid from destroying the planet, thinking about how critical it was for them to birth a child at some point in their lives to continue the sacred Draconid bloodline, thus ensuring the world's very existence going forward?

Thoughts of Aster forcefully pushed their way to the forefront of Zinnia's mind and it was all she could do to clench her jaw and her eyes shut, to swallow the tortured, psychotic screams that threatened to burst forth from her mouth, to fight back the tears that threatened to flow nonstop. It was all she could do… to exercise discipline, to keep the madness that was her past, to say nothing of the emotions tied to it, under the surface where it belonged. It was, much like the very reason she had even been born in the first place, her burden to bear. No one else's.

Exhaling deeply, Zinnia opened her eyes and stepped off the escalator. She could feel her heart beating faster, but she'd be damned if she couldn't keep her breath steady and paced, her voice level and her demeanour calm. Her mouth was dry now. She really needed that soda.

Several mundane escalator rides later, Zinnia stepped up onto the roof of the building, feeling the night air around her once more. The whole city could be seen from up here, in all its neon glory, but it wasn't the view that garnered her attention.

The soda vending machines had a simple grey, rectangular design, their brightly coloured cans of fizzy drink awaiting Zinnia's pocket change behind windows of glass. It would be so easy to break that glass with a Pokémon's attack, or even by brute human force, but Zinnia kept as level a head as she could, put the stupid coin in the stupid slot, pressed the button for a Soda Pop…

…And a bottle of Fresh Water tumbled out.

With a furious roar, Zinnia snatched up the frontmost Pokéball she kept on her person, tossed it onto the ground and in a flash of white light, the towering figure of a certain Dragon/Flying type Pokémon took up much of the space on the department store's roof. The great creature flexed its red wings, the blue scales that covered its body glinting in the moonlight.

"SALAMENCE, USE DRAGON TA-!" Zinnia began, but stopped when she realised what she was doing. She gazed around, spotting a lone figure sitting on a bench at the far side of the rooftop. He seemed to be cast in shadow, but the Lorekeeper was sure he was looking at her. His stature was motionless. Zinnia sighed heavily, bending down to pick up Salamence's Pokéball. "Salamence, return," she said dully, recalling the dragon in a beam of red light. Without another word, Zinnia fetched her water bottle from the chute of the vending machine, took a seat not too far away from the person in shadow, and sipped miserably at her plain, almost bland beverage. She let out another sigh as she sat there, gazing out at Veilstone City. "Lucas," she muttered, her crimson eyes showing loathing at the very mention of his name.

Then, after a brief moment, her eyes softened and she chuckled sadly.

"Oh, Lucas," she said, shaking her head knowingly before turning her gaze to the stars above. "We're quite a pair, you and I."

Out of the corner of her eye, Zinnia noticed the man in shadow get to his feet. She watched him as he started to walk by…

And then the man, now in clear view, stopped dead in his tracks, turned and stared straight at Zinnia, unmoving, his eyes hidden behind the futuristic visor that was connected to his cybernetic blue and white helmet, a strand of purple hair hanging down over his forehead.

Normally, Zinnia would've had some sort of quip prepared, such as, "Take a picture! It'll last longer!" But right now, she didn't dare move, didn't dare break eye contact with this bizarrely dressed stranger who seemed to be staring at her so intently, as though he were gazing into her mind from behind that visor, looking right through her crimson eyes and seeing her innermost thoughts, setting his sights on her very soul…

And then the man turned and walked away as though nothing had happened.

Zinnia stared after him several seconds after he was gone. She wasn't easily shaken, but something about that strange man had seemed… otherworldly. He had rocked Zinnia to her core for reasons she couldn't even _begin_ to explain.

And she knew, even as she sat there taking another sip of water, that she was going to follow that guy. She was going to find out everything she could about him - who he was, what his deal was, why he was in this city…

And what it was about him that made the hair on the back of Zinnia's neck stand on end.

"Looks like the next chapter of my tale is finally beginning," she mused as she got to her feet, "Whether I want it to or not."


	10. Short And (Not So) Sweet

Chapter 10

The Pokémon Centre was fairly quiet, with only three people presently within its walls. Nurse Joy stood behind the main service desk as per the norm, patiently waiting to see if anyone needed her help to heal their Pokémon on this pleasantly warm evening. All kinds of Trainers came through the Centre's double doors on a daily basis, but few were more eye-catching in terms of their odd appearance than the two trainers who had come in a short while ago.

Clad in blue and white armour of a decidedly futuristic design, they had presented a mere two Pokémon in need of healing. Said Pokémon had been contained in Pokéballs that perhaps complimented the unusual attire of their Trainers, for instead of the typical red and white design, the balls in question bore a checkered dark blue pattern separated by light blue lines, with four yellow fins positioned around each ball.

Now, while it most certainly wasn't unheard of for Trainers to customise their Pokémon's Pokéballs for the sake of some personal flair (ball seals came to mind, now that Nurse Joy thought of it), these almost cybernetic Pokéballs were certainly out there, and neither of the Pokémon they contained were native to the Sinnoh region. Joy recognised one of them as a Furfrou, thanks to one of her sisters having studied abroad, but the other was unlike anything she or her medical scanners had ever seen.

With a vague resemblance to a Beedrill - and a _very_ vague resemblance at that - this draconic insect that had shown up on the scanner's monitor bore a distinct purple colouring, scythe-like wings that wouldn't have looked out of place on a Salamence, a striped abdomen and a long, metallic-looking stinger that seemed almost like a tube or a pipe. What had the elder Trainer called it in that polite yet curt tone of his? A Naganadel or something like that? It had seemed almost otherworldly.

Joy glanced to her right, where the purple-haired armoured Trainer now stood, browsing the shelf of books and magazines that the Veilstone City Pokémon Centre provided for its patrons. His eyes were hidden behind that metallic white visor built into his helmet, his mouth a thin line that looked as though it had never once worked itself into a smile. His cohort sat at a table nearby, having removed her helmet to reveal her braided orange hair and a pair of grey eyes. Unlike the older armoured Trainer, she looked quite happy as she sat there, brushing the coat of her Furfrou, which now stood tall and stoic in front of her. The ordinary pink brush looked almost out of place in the girl's gloved hand, said gloves having a very cybernetic appearance.

The purple-haired man turned away from the bookshelf and approached his younger cohort just as she recalled her Pokémon back into its curious blue Pokéball. The girl looked up at her older associate, her words carrying a sense of cheerful contentment as she spoke.

"I read in a beginner's guidebook about Pokémon care that Furfrou love to have their fur brushed," she stated brightly. "D'you think Naganadel would-?"

"I doubt it," the man said simply, cutting her off as he took a seat opposite her, lifting up the small briefcase he had been carrying and placing it on the table. Nurse Joy noticed that it bore the Team Galactic logo, and she immediately turned her eyes and ears away from the pair. Like many, she still didn't entirely trust Team Galactic, and would rather not get involved in any of what she could only hope were perfectly legal business exchanges. At the sight of the briefcase, the orange-haired girl's smile faded to be replaced by a look of apprehension and concern.

"Dulse, do you think we're doing the right thing?" she asked after a long moment, watching as her cohort, Dulse, opened the case to check on what was inside. "I mean, sure, I get that these documents could help our people with the information they provide, but giving up what we did in order to get them… Can we really trust someone like Miss Chrysalis to use that kind of technology - _our_ technology - in a responsible way?"

Dulse initially said nothing as he closed the briefcase quietly. After a long moment of viewing his younger cohort's troubled visage, he sighed, and his visor slid up of its own accord to reveal his own grey eyes.

"Zossie, you must remember that our people are depending on us to bring them this research data," he said in a surprisingly gentle tone. "We cannot afford another incident where the Blinding One is concerned."

"But Miss Chrysalis-"

"She has her important matters to attend to and we have ours. If nothing else, she has served us better than Aether President Lusamine ever did, even with her equally coarse demeanour."

Zossie bit her lip and said nothing more. Dulse's visor lowered itself over his eyes once more. He then put a gloved hand to his chin, looking thoughtful.

"We still have approximately four hours before our suits are again fully primed to return us to Ultra Space, and we should proceed to higher ground to minimize technological interference. I have heard that the peak of Mt. Coronet has been used in the past for similar purposes, due to its natural magnetic energy. If we head out now, we should reach the mountaintop before sunrise. I believe the locals describe the view from atop the mountain as 'humbling'."

Zossie liked the sound of that. When exploring the various realms of Ultra Space, she always liked to take in the scenery of a bizarre new world, especially when that scenery was dotted with species of Pokémon she had never seen before, and yet…

"You go on ahead, Dulse," she told him, smiling her typical smile to show him that she was on board with the planned excursion. "I will catch up momentarily. Trust me."

Dulse frowned slightly, a little suspicious of what his cohort might be hoping to get up to behind his back. "Very well," he said in his usual curt tone as he got to his feet, picking up the briefcase. "I shall meet you at the edge of the city in ten minutes and not a second later," he stated. "Don't forget your helmet," he added, indicating at the futuristic headwear that rested on the floor beside Zossie's armoured left foot.

As Dulse left the building, Zossie tapped at the armour covering her right arm and what looked like a white rectangular card slid out of a concealed slot. The card had a faint blue circle in the centre. Zossie tapped it with her thumb and a cone-shaped beam of blue light began to shine out of it.

"Okay, Zossie, you can do this," she told herself. "Just be professional and to the point." She cleared her throat, straightened up in her seat and spoke clearly and with forced calm. "This message is intended for the leader of Team Galactic. I am Zossie of the Ultra Recon Squad. Recently, one of your employees, designated Chrysalis, has been in touch with us regarding certain research data, which she agreed to provide us with in exchange for a piece of advanced Ultra Recon Squad technology. My cohort and I initially believed this exchange to be mutually beneficial, but I am now starting to have my doubts."

Zossie glanced behind her to see if Nurse Joy was listening in on the recording she was making. Seeing that the nurse had temporarily left the room, she turned back to the card she held and continued.

"Earlier tonight, at precisely 1905 hours, Chrysalis, my aforementioned cohort and myself engaged in the aforementioned exchange in person, at which time we were confronted by a young woman whom Chrysalis referred to as Zinnia. After a verbal exchange that implied many things about Chrysalis and her motives, Chrysalis called upon the power of one of her Pokémon to subdue Zinnia effortlessly - a noteworthy feat, given that Zinnia had a much more fierce-looking Pokémon at her disposal."

Zossie took a deep breath and made her conclusive statement, her voice starting to grow a little shaky, but she forced the words out nonetheless.

"Based on the verbal exchange between Zinnia and Chrysalis, I believe that the Team Galactic documents Chrysalis gave us were stolen or otherwise obtained through unethical means. I also heard her muttering something about 'shifting the blame to that boy' as she walked away. My cohort, believing Zinnia to be a common thief and nothing more, used our technology to send her back to our base of operations, where she has most likely been incarcerated until further notice. I, however, believe there was some truth in her accusations about Chrysalis. Team Galactic Leader, if you should see this message, please ensure that Chrysalis does not do anything foolish with the technology we bestowed upon her. I feel that she is more of a danger to herself than others, but even so…"

Zossie let out a weary sigh.

"Thank you for your time. Ultra Recon Squad Zossie out." With that, Zossie switched off the hologram and glanced up just as a Team Galactic grunt walked into the Pokémon Centre right on cue. Not wasting a moment, Zossie bent down to pick up her helmet, placed it atop her head and proceeded towards the exit, twirling on the spot as she passed the grunt and carefully tucking the hologram card into his back pocket without his notice. Her work done, Zossie hurried out onto the streets of Veilstone City and jogged to catch up with Dulse.

The Galactic Grunt, on his part, had his Golbat healed by Nurse Joy, left the Pokémon Centre, circled around the streets as he thought about the project that was due at the office tomorrow, passed by the Veilstone Gym and it was here that the card fell out of his pocket without his notice.

A short while later, a certain Dark/Ice type Pokémon ventured outside the Gym to savour the night air, subsequently stepped on the card, and picked the object up in its clawed appendage to gaze at it with intrigued curiosity...


	11. What An Ultra Twist!

Chapter 11

Zinnia slowly opened her eyes, her vision initially hazy. She found herself lying on her back, staring up at an unmarked black ceiling that had an almost otherworldly sheen to it. The same was true for the walls, and yet, despite the dark colouring, there was no shortage of light, for the room itself seemed to emanate a faint glow. It was just bright enough for her to view her surroundings, no more, no less. The girl sat bolt upright with a sharp gasp, taking in just how small and claustrophobic the room was. It was almost like…

"A cell," Zinnia murmured quietly, biting her lip. Glancing left and right, she saw a large opening to her left. This cell, if it was indeed that, was open and did not appear to be guarded. There were no metal bars keeping her confined here, but even as Zinnia leapt up off the rectangular bench she was sitting upon, she saw the faintly shimmering barrier that stood between her and freedom.

It looked like some sort of energy-based force field, not unlike those seen in sci-fi movies. No doubt trying to break through it with brute force would be futile at best and problematic at worst. For all Zinnia knew, this energy might slice off any part of her being that came into contact with it. Gritting her teeth, Zinnia looked down… and cried out in bewildered alarm as she became aware that she was no longer garbed in her cape or signature adventuring clothes.

A skin-tight spandex bodysuit of pure, unmarked white covered her being from her toes right up to her neck, fitting her perfectly. It didn't restrict her movements in the slightest, with her limbs and even every individual finger on her hands able to move freely despite being concealed by fabric, but Zinnia was troubled by the outfit nonetheless. Ignoring the fact that there appeared to be no openings of any kind on the suit from the neck down, meaning that problems would arise when she inevitably needed to use the bathroom, but it was the realisation that someone had actively and knowingly put her in this suit while she had been unconscious, that someone had undressed her, had seen her exposed body (and the possibilities of what THAT might've entailed), that filled Zinnia with horrified outrage.

"This is all that Chrysalis' fault!" she concluded, her anger only rising at the memory of confronting the Team Galactic Supervisor and whoever those armoured people were. Zinnia remembered calling out her Salamence to put a stop to whatever the group had been up to, only for Chrysalis' Pokémon to jump her from behind, the vile woman having already anticipated Zinnia's interference, and boy, had that Pokémon been ugly. Oh, so ugly! Zinnia had only managed to glance at it before her gaze had become drawn into the creature's eyes, which had turned from yellow to a deep shade of red that could rival her own crimson eyes, but even as the world had swayed, even as she had succumbed to the effects of what was undoubtedly the move Hypnosis, Zinnia had been very aware of the sheer ugliness of that Pokémon's face…

It had almost been as ugly as Chrysalis' own face. Zinnia reluctantly allowed a small smirk to play at the corners of her mouth at that thought. She was confident that in a fair fight, Salamence, or indeed any of her Pokémon, could've wiped the floor with old Garchomp Butt's pet. That Hypnosis had caught her and Salamence off guard, that was all.

"Salamence!" Zinnia then gasped, remembering her Pokémon. She fumbled instinctively at the sides of her waist, already knowing that her Pokéballs would not be there, that they would not be hanging safe and sound on the rope belt that she no longer wore. They were gone, no doubt having been taken by whomever had put these clothes on her and locked her in this cell for Chrysalis' benefit. It wouldn't have surprised Zinnia if Chrysalis herself had taken her Pokémon as trophy prizes, but she had to think positive. With any luck, her Pokémon were currently safe… or as safe as they could be in unfamiliar hands. As for her adventuring clothes, they were obviously of less concern, save for one thing.

Zinnia glanced down and saw a bulge around her ankle. She grinned. "Looks like they couldn't take everything," she mused, reaching down and patting her Mega Anklet for reassurance, its weight comforting despite the spandex that stood between the relic and her hand.

Turning away from the force field, the last Draconid saw an open compartment on the far wall, a thick glass flap showcasing the contents within. Zinnia hurried over, lifted up the flap and pulled out a a sterile white box and a white card with a blinking blue light on it. The girl sat down, setting the box aside for the moment, the curious card being the more intriguing object. Surely her captor or captors hadn't been so foolish as to leave a keycard inside a cell with a prisoner? Zinnia traced her finger over the blinking light in the centre of the card, almost dropping the device in shock as it beeped and a shimmering image of a three inch tall armoured man appeared above the card, seeming as though it were being projected out of the card.

 _"Greetings on behalf of the Ultra Recon Squad,"_ the man said, his eyes hidden behind the visor of the cybernetic helmet he wore. He had a decidedly cultured voice and a thick, well-groomed moustache. _"I am Phyco, and if you are seeing this message, it means you have been subjected to confinement for the safety of yourself and/or others. Until such time as we deem it safe or otherwise appropriate to relieve you of your current situation, patience and contemplation are advised."_

"Five bucks says that's a fake moustache," Zinnia muttered under her breath as she continued to watch the hologram, listening carefully in case she heard anything that might help her escape.

 _"Rest assured that you will be provided sustenance at regular intervals,"_ the man continued, _"And know that we are dedicated to ensuring the health and safety of any and all confined individuals. Should you be experiencing difficulties of a medical nature, please consult our confinement block patrol staff during hourly patrols. Be aware that any attempt to harm or intentionally inconvenience patrol staff will see you transferred to solitary confinement, with continued ill-mannered behaviour resulting in extended periods of such confinement. This card will deactivate momentarily and this message will not be repeated. Ultra Recon Squad Phyco out."_

"'Confined individuals…'" Zinnia repeated disapprovingly as the hologram deactivated. "Just a sugar-coated term for prisoners. You're not running a meditative retreat here, buddy. Tell it like it is." She cast the card aside, the blue light having dulled and stopped blinking. She then turned her gaze to the small white box. "Well, as long as I'm here, I might as well see what's on the menu," she decided as she picked up the container and prised the lid open. Inside were two large Pecha berries. "Fruit, huh? Seems a little generous for a prison. Guess I shouldn't look a gift Ponyta in the mouth, though," she said as she pulled one of the berries out of the box and lifted it to her mouth. She was about to take a bite when a distant noise caught her attention. It sounded like someone screaming in panic, and it seemed to be getting closer.

"Scooooooooooooor!"

"What the-?!" Zinnia exclaimed as a small Pokémon suddenly came tumbling out of the compartment in the wall, as though it had fallen down a chute that was concealed within. The little creature, which now lay on its back on the shiny black floor, appeared to be some sort of rabbit-like Pokémon with white fur, the top half of its long rabbit ears tipped with a deep shade of orange, with the same true for its toes. A band-aid rested on the middle of its face just above the nose. The Pokémon got up and shook its head like a dog with water in its ears and gazed up at Zinnia with beady eyes filled with bold curiosity.

"Scor. Scorbunny," it said, noticing the berry that Zinnia held. Zinnia, realising what the bunny Pokémon was staring at, hesitated for a long moment... and then hastily stuffed the Pecha berry into her mouth, chewed rapidly and swallowed the lot in one gulp.

 _"My_ food!" the Draconid declared rather childishly, snatching up the box that held the remaining Pecha berry. _"Mine!"_

"Scorbunny!" the bunny Pokémon snapped, hopping up and down on the spot, glaring at Zinnia. It held out a paw. _"Scor!"_ it demanded, no doubt wanting the contents of the box.

"If you want it, come and get it!" Zinnia declared, instantly regretting those words as, with a primal scream, the bunny Pokémon leapt at her and began to kick her in the face repeatedly with its swift rabbit feet. "H-Hey!" Zinnia exclaimed, holding up an arm to defend herself. "Cut it out!"

"Scor..." the bunny Pokémon growled warningly as it landed back on the floor. It looked really angry now. Was it Zinnia's imagination, or were the soles of its feet glowing bright orange...?

The bunny Pokémon gave a small hop, revealing a set of fiery footprints on the floor beneath it. They quickly faded away, for there was nothing on the floor to sustain the flames, but the sight was enough to convince Zinnia to play smart and hand over the remaining berry, lest the next set of kicks to her face should be marred with fire.

"Alright, here you go," she said warily, setting the white box down on the floor in front of the bunny Pokémon, who wasted no time climbing headfirst into the box, its feet flailing about in the air as noisy chewing sounds ensued. In spite of herself, Zinnia couldn't help but chuckle at the antics of the little creature. The bunny Pokémon finished its meal and struggled to get out of the box, causing the container to fall over onto its side and the Pokémon to roll out, traces of the berry smeared on its face. It let out a loud belch as it lay there and Zinnia laughed.

"Scorbunny..." the little Pokémon mumbled, patting its stomach contentedly.

"You're quite the cheeky one, aren't you?" Zinnia mused knowingly. "Is that your name? Scorbunny? I'm Zinnia. Tell you what, Scorbunny: You help me break out of this place and I'll help you find some more food. Deal?"

Scorbunny sat up and grinned at her. "Scor!"

* * *

"Everything is ready..." Chrysalis murmured fervently as she closed the laptop that rested on the table before her in the gloom. She raised a hand and flexed her fingers slowly. "Time to make history."

The lights in the Galactic HQ break room clicked on and Chrysalis gasped, whirling around to see Commander Saturn standing there in the doorway, a look of disapproval on his face.

"I've been wondering when you would show your true colours, Chrysalis," the blue haired man said calmly. "I still wonder, however, why you chose that particular name to hide your identity."

Chrysalis was wide-eyed as she stood there, still holding up her hand.

Her gloved hand that was blue and cybernetic-looking.

"I-Impossible," the woman managed to splutter after a moment as she stood there in the white armour of the Ultra Recon Squad, the helmet fitted rather uncomfortably over her azure hair, making the fact that she was wearing a wig all the more apparent. "You couldn't have known! You _can't_ know! _How could you possibly know?!"_

Saturn chuckled knowingly despite his cynical expression and tone. "I would think that much is obvious - I know because I know _you_ ," he said as he stepped forward. "From the first moment you applied for this job a few months ago, I could see the little signs. The way you talked, your body language, the way you acted and reacted... It was all as clear as crystal. What really gave it away, however, were your eyes."

Chrysalis faltered slightly as Saturn stopped before her, the two of them mere centimetres apart. She didn't do so out of fear, but out of... embarrassment? "My... My eyes?" she asked, averting her gaze, her cheeks reddening.

"As beautiful as they were filled with deluded madness," the Galactic Commander stated, his tone softening ever so slightly for a moment. "I had hoped that that madness would fade with time, as I had once thought it _had_ done. Alas..."

Saturn took a step back, reaching for a Pokéball at his waist, pressing the button that made it go from compact to full size. Chrysalis leapt back at the sight of it, instinctively grabbing a Pokéball of her own and holding it at the ready, her hand shaking.

"Y-You will not stop me!" she insisted shakily. "I've been preparing for this for too long! I _will_ finish what my mentor started, and if I can't create an ideal world, then I'll... I'll use this suit to open a portal to _find_ one!"

Saturn closed his eyes for a moment, letting out a heavy sigh, as though what he did next pained him. "If you will not be stopped by reasoning, by me, then you leave me no alternative. I shall stop you by force and hope that you might finally see sense through the heat of a Pokémon battle. Go, Toxicroak!" he cried, thrusting the Pokéball onto the ground, the aforementioned Pokémon appearing in a flash of white light.

"Purugly, show him that he'll get no more mercy than that uppity brat who once shamed me!" Chrysalis declared, unleashing her own Pokémon. The Poison/Fighting type and Normal type stood glaring at one another as their respective masters stepped back to give the creatures some breathing room. Purugly gave a low, threatening growl. Toxicroak made an unsettling warbling sound and gestured with its right hand, daring its opponent to close the distance.

For a long moment, there was silence in the break room as both sides stood at the ready. Then-

"Toxicroak, use Sludge Bomb!" Saturn barked, pointing at Purugly. Toxicroak obeyed immediately, leaping forward through the air and unleashing multiple blobs of gooey gunk.

"Purugly, dodge and use Scratch!" Chrysalis commanded.

Purugly charged forward, extending its claws. It leapt up with a vicious snarl and made to swipe at Toxicroak, but-"

"Poison Jab! Now!"

The bipedal frog's blow struck the quadrupedal feline's underside square and true, winding Purugly for a moment.

"Again! Poison Jab!"

"Show 'em your Super Fang!"

With feral battle cries, the two Pokémon raced towards each other to clash head on. Their impact of their collision created a shockwave that sent Saturn and Chrysalis reeling back.

"You've improved," Saturn commented as he shifted the positions of his feet to maintain his balance. "Impressive."

"Cut the sweet talk! I went through a lot to get this suit and I'm gonna use it!" Chrysalis declared, raising her arms, her palms splayed upward. She waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And then Saturn laughed.

"I expected better of you!" he exclaimed, smirking. "You of all people should know to read the manual before operating a complex device such as that suit!"

"I... I didn't get a manual." Chrysalis said slowly, sounding like she was in shock. "I... I didn't... I DIDN'T THINK TO CHECK AND MAKE SURE THERE WAS A MANUAL!" she screamed, starting to leap up and down on the spot, throwing a childish tantrum. "WHY _ISN'T_ THERE A MANUAL FOR A SUIT THAT OPENS INTER-DIMENSIONAL PORTALS?! Oh, wait, let me guess - the instructions are programmed _into_ the suit, right?" she jeered aloud to no one in particular. "Just like how modern cell phones have the instructions programmed into them, right? WHAT GOOD IS PUTTING DIGITAL INSTRUCTIONS INSIDE A DEVICE IF YOU NEED THOSE INSTRUCTIONS TO EVEN FIGURE OUT HOW TO TURN THE DEVICE ON IN THE FIRST PLACE?! THAT IS SO STUPIDLY PARADOXICAL!"

Her furious rant concluded, Chrysalis wrenched off her cybernetic helmet, thrust it onto the floor and proceeded to stomp on it repeatedly, initially oblivious to the fact that her azure wig had come off, caught inside the helmet, leaving the natural deep red colour of her actual hair completely exposed.

It was then that Lucas and Weavile came racing into the room.

"Commander Saturn, sir!" the boy started breathlessly, brandishing the holographic message card Weavile had given him in one hand. "There's something I have to... tell... you," he finished slowly, looking from the helmet on the floor that contained the blue wig to the red-haired woman in the armoured suit, who had stopped throwing a tantrum and now looked to be on the verge of frustrated tears.

"Have you quite finished making a spectacle of yourself, Mars?" Saturn enquired curtly, walking over and bending down to pick up the helmet, extracting the wig from it. He shook his head as he held the hairpiece up to examine it. "I never liked these things anyway, truth be told."

"Chrysalis... is _Mars?!"_ Lucas cried in disbelief. "Man, I knew there was something off about her, but this...!"

"That will do, Lucas," Saturn told him, turning to face the young man. "As it happens, your timing is impeccable. Could you please find a phone and contact the authorities? I think ex-Commander Mars will be needing to have a little talk with them about some-"

"Stolen documents?" Lucas finished for him.

"That, and how she intended to frame you for the theft of such," the Commander stated.

Mars let out a frustrated growl. "You were onto me from the beginning! I can't BELIEVE this!" she screeched. She glanced down at Purugly and Toxicroak, who had collapsed in a heap after colliding with each other. "Purugly, do something! Use scratch on... on _him_! On the boy!" she cried wildly.

Purugly glanced up at Lucas, got to its feet and, after a quick, somewhat uncertain glance back at its master, started towards the boy, claws outstretched.

"Vile!"

A powerful Slash left Purugly wincing in pain, a large open wound clear and visible on its ugly, ugly face. Weavile flexed its claws threateningly, just d _aring_ the Normal type to attempt another attack on Lucas' person. Purugly just slunk away in a decidedly cowardly manner, leaving Mars in shock.

"This can't be happening! You! You uppity brat!" Mars spat, brandishing a finger at Lucas. "You've always been a thorn in my side, you and your Pokémon! If Master Cyrus were here, he'd... he'd..."

And it was with those feeble words that Mars finally broke down into tears, slumping onto the floor and putting her head in her hands.

"Why, Master Cyrus? Why did you have to leave me here, to carry the torch by myself, alone?" she wailed aloud.

"That's _enough_ , Mars!" Saturn snapped, stepping up to the bawling woman. "You need to stop mentally shackling yourself to Cyrus! As long as you continue to do that, it will always hold you back!" he stated as he stared down at her. As Mars continued to cry, the Commander sighed, kneeling down to be at eye level with her. He placed a hand under Mars' chin and gently lifted her head up. "This desire to prove yourself as capable... You've always had that, Mars," he said in a softer tone. "You've always been determined to forge a path towards bigger and better things, always looking for a mentor's approval as you did so... but you don't need it, Mars."

Mars stared up at him. " _What?"_ she said, wiping her eyes with her cybernetic sleeve.

"You seek approval from leaders like Cyrus or myself because you feel incomplete without it. You feel that you have no purpose without that kind of recognition, but you don't need someone else's approval, Mars. The only person you need the approval of to be an inspiring and trailblazing individual... is yourself. Look at yourself, Mars. Is this what you always saw yourself to be? A criminal blindly chasing the dreams of a man with a dangerously radical vision, a man who cares nothing for those who follow him? Be more than a subordinate, Mars. Be the strong, capable woman that you and I both know you can be. Forge your own goals and dreams. Change the world _your_ way, not Cyrus' way."

Mars sniffed. "Did you really see that in me, when we were dating? Someone strong and... and capable?"

"That and more, and rest assured, it was not my approval that made you such. You bettered yourself because you believed you could... and so did I. You righted your course before, and you can do so again. Be that woman, Mars. Be the woman that I felt such compassion for... and still do. Do it not for me, but for yourself, because you... are... Mars."

Mars gave a little whimper, and then she threw her arms around Saturn, crying onto his shoulder. Saturn patted her on the back comfortingly. Lucas, meanwhile, just continued to stand there, looking and feeling awkward. He glanced at Weavile, who looked from him to the injured Pokémon on the floor, who were both sitting up licking their wounds. Literally, in Purugly's case.

"Um, sir, before we get the police involved, perhaps we should see to it that your Pokémon are tended to," Lucas said, noticing the empty Pokéballs that had rolled their way into the corner of the room, now motionless.

Saturn gingerly released Mars and helped her to her feet. "An excellent suggestion, Lucas. As always, you show yourself to be more capable than even you realise," he said as he turned to face the boy. "That Weavile of yours... You should be proud to have such a strong and loyal Pokémon as your companion. Not many Pokémon can go toe-to-toe with Mars' Purugly in a straight fight, much less subdue it with just one attack."

"Well, to be fair, I think your Toxicroak softened up Purugly beforehand," Mars managed to say, a weak smile on her face, her eyes still watery. "Saturn?"

"Yes, Mars?"

"When this is all over... That is, once the police have had their say and I've done my time..." She hiccoughed. "Do you think... You and I... D'you think that maybe we could pick up where we left off?"

Saturn smiled warmly as he led Mars out of the break room. "Consider it a date."


	12. Onward To A New Adventure!

Chapter 12

 _Knock, Knock, knock._

"Come in," Saturn called calmly without looking up from the two glasses of bourbon he was pouring, having anticipated a certain courier's arrival ahead of time. Sure enough, Lucas pushed the door open and stepped into the Commander's office.

"Commander Saturn, sir, I just stopped by to—" the young man began, but Saturn held up a hand to silence him, still yet to look up from the task of pouring drinks. A brief moment later, the blue-haired boss set the bottle aside and moved one of the glasses to the far side of the desk, closer to Lucas, who sat down and picked it up immediately, downing its amber contents in one gulp.

"I wouldn't drink it that fast myself, but to each his own," Saturn said with a knowing smirk. The events that had transpired a few nights ago had no doubt left Lucas in need of a good stiff drink, but that wasn't why Lucas had been so quick to consume the alcohol in this instance. No, he wanted to get the pleasantries out of the way quick, for he had something very important to say; perhaps the most important thing he had decided upon saying in a long time.

"I'll probably regret guzzling that once it hits my system," Lucas gasped as he set the glass down before him. "Now, Commander Saturn, sir—"

"Just Saturn will suffice, Lucas. No need to be so formal all the time."

"Sir, please, I need to tell you something!" Lucas insisted, a faint hint of something unusual in his tone. Was it aggression? No, it was… _assertiveness_ , and this immediately had the Commander intrigued. Thus, he said nothing, and waited for the boy to proceed. Lucas sighed. "Look, Saturn," he began more calmly, biting his lip as he thought carefully about how to phrase his next words, "Y-You once told me that I could speak my mind in your presence, and that's exactly what I _must_ do now. You were… You were right about me, Saturn, about everything. Except for the part about me having a fling with Zinnia, that is!" he babbled nervously, feeling his cheeks redden slightly at the thought. "I wanna stress that she and I… are not…" He bit his lip again. Saturn chuckled knowingly.

"I will not press the matter any further should doing so make you uncomfortable," the Commander told him. Rest assured, I do not judge either way."

"Right, well… Good," Lucas said, shifting uncomfortably on his seat. He cleared his throat. "Anyway, as I said, you were right about me. I was… No, I _am_ regretful of what might have been if I had walked a different path in the years after I was stripped of my title of Champion. I didn't want to settle into some run-of-the-mill job in some dull, stoic company. Uh, no offence, sir," he added awkwardly.

"None taken."

"Th-That's why I came to see you this morning, sir. I wanted to… thank you for having me as your courier for these past few years, but…" Lucas bit his lip again, his nerves beginning to fail him. "Commander Saturn, sir, I will always appreciate what you did for me by taking me on as a Team Galactic employee, but I…" He trailed off, reaching for a Pokéball at his waist. _"This_ is what defines me, sir," he said, holding the red and white ball up. " _This_ is what I'm meant to be, what I _want_ to be. I may have been a courier for the past few years, but in my heart of hearts, no matter what hardships I face, no matter how much self-doubt I might let creep into my mind… I will always, _always_ , be a Pokémon Trainer at heart."

"…I see," Saturn said after what seemed like an immensely long pause. The Commander took a sip from his glass of bourbon before continuing, "You wish to resign as a Team Galactic employee to pursue your own goals."

"If that's alright with you, sir," Lucas managed in a timid mumble, averting his eyes awkwardly.

Saturn let out an exasperated sigh, setting his glass down before leaping to his feet quite suddenly, causing Lucas to do the same in panic. "It is well within every employee's right to resign from employment at any given workplace. Such is the _law_ , Lucas," the Commander said firmly. "It's not a matter of it being alright with _me_ \- it's a matter of it being alright with _you_. Lucas, look at me. _Look at me!"_ he snapped sharply, slamming his palms down on the desk, causing the boy to gasp before hurriedly fixing a pair of terrified eyes on his boss. "You need to stop cowering in my presence! You need to stand up straight, look me square in the eye and tell me with confidence that this is truly what you want!"

The angered Saturn exhaled deeply, taking a seat and picking up his glass of bourbon, downing the contents in one gulp and tossing the empty glass over his shoulder where it smashed on the floor.

"You said it yourself, Lucas," the Commander said more calmly as Lucas warily took a seat of his own, "No matter how much self-doubt might creep into your mind, you won't let it stand in the way of who you truly are. Lucas, I want you to stand up once more and tell me once and for all, speaking from your heart, are you a courier… or are you a Pokémon Trainer? Before you do," he aded sharply as Lucas started to get up, "Know that you are not doing so to assure me, but to assure _yourself_. Understand?"

Lucas nodded. He then took a deep breath, stood up abruptly, looked Saturn straight in the eye and spoke:

"Saturn, being a Pokémon Trainer is everything to me, and my greatest regret above all others is not coming to terms with that before today. That said, I am handing in my resignation right this minute. That is to say, effective immediately, I, Lucas, no longer work for Team Galactic. Thank you for your time, and now, I must bid you farewell." On that note, he turned to leave.

"Ha ha ha! You see, Lucas? You see how easy that was?" Saturn called after him in an uncharacteristically jovial tone.

Lucas stopped. "Hey... that _was_ easy!" he said, turning around to smile proudly at the Commander.

"And why wouldn't it be? You've had the charisma needed to properly assert yourself all this time!" Saturn told him. "You walked in here with the intent of making a difference, just as you did the other night when Mars was scheming after hours! You did it because you believed you could, and as your former boss, I want you to keep that up going forward! It will get you far, Lucas. Mark my words."

"Well, here's hoping, sir!" Lucas said with an awkward chuckle.

" _Saturn_ , not sir. I do not like my friends to address me so formally."

Lucas stared at him in disbelief. "I'm sorry, did you say friend?"

"Indeed. Do you think I would offer a drink to just anyone who might happen to come in here? Do you think I go around helping _everyone_ to find their inner confidence? Do you think I would've appointed you as a courier in the first place if I didn't trust you? You have always intrigued me, Lucas, from the moment we first met," Saturn told him. "Back then, as we battled, my Toxicroak against your Infernape, I was intrigued by how you stared at me so defiantly, with such determination in your eyes. You knew that Team Galactic was in the wrong and you were more than ready to stand up for what you believed was right. Even when you showed up here for your job interview, I knew that despite how far you saw yourself to have fallen, your confidence and courage were still there deep down. You just needed people like me and Zinnia to remind you of that. To remind you... of what you already knew at heart, and in time, I began to see you as I have always seen Mars. That is to say, capable and brimming with potential. I began to think of you as my unofficial protégé, and in time, I thought of you as a friend. You may not have realised it, but I think you gradually began to feel the same. You offered me support when I was choking on hot coffee. You remained steadfast even as 'Chrysalis' was determined to undermine you in my eyes. You risked getting mauled by a Purugly to bring me information. I think it's fair to say that you and I have grown on one another, Lucas."

Lucas didn't know what to say to that. It all made sense, but it was quite a lot to take in. Thus, he said the only thing he could think of: "May I go now, Saturn?"

"In a moment, Lucas. First, I'd like to ask a small favour of you as your friend, if I may be so bold."

"...I'm all ears."

Saturn reached into a compartment of his desk and pulled out a metallic box of dark grey, the Team Galactic logo branded on it. "As a Pokémon Trainer, you will no doubt be doing your fair share of travelling. I have an acquaintance in Snowpoint City who has been expecting this package from me for sometime now. If you would be willing to deliver this in my stead, I'll see if I can't slip a bonus in your final pay check. Think of it as your last task as the best courier Team Galactic has had in over a decade."

Lucas looked thoughtful. "Let me guess - the contents of that package are for your acquaintance's eyes _only_ , right?"

"You're learning, Lucas," Saturn said with a smile as he pushed the metallic box across the surface of the desk. "Gradually, but you're learning."

"I guess I could spare the time... for a friend," Lucas said as he scooped up the package, returning the Commander's smile. "Onward to a new universe!" he said with a grin, reciting the Team Galactic creed, saluting his former boss.

"Well said, Lucas. Now please, move along," Saturn told him before turning his attention to a stack of paper documents. "I have much paperwork to go through."

* * *

"Wea! Vile! Wea! Vile!"

The Sharp Claw Pokémon was caught up in a friendly sparring match with Maylene's Lucario in the middle of the Veilstone Gym's main training area. The Aura Pokémon had used Bone Rush to conjure a large bone staff, which it was using to block and parry many of the Dark/Ice type's slashes and swipes. They stopped as Maylene walked in from the back room.

The Gym Leader was wearing a lime green tank top, a dark blue skirt and lengthy feminine boots of bright orange that stretched almost up to her knees, an insignia of the Cobble Badge depicted on the sides of said boots. She had spiked her pink hair up with gel in a pseudo-mohawk and appeared to be wearing a faint layer of lipgloss. A bright yellow sweatband adorned her head, a little insignia of a Pikachu's face right in the centre, emblazoned proudly on her forehead. A fresh band-aid adorned her nose, this one red and white; a Pokéball theme. Weavile took one look at her and burst out laughing. Even Lucario had to turn away to hide an amused smirk at the sight of all those mismatched colours on Maylene's outfit, her clumsy attempt to dress for her date with Candice adorably tragic.

Maylene scowled at the two Pokémon, her cheeks reddening in humiliation. "Sh-Shut up!" she spluttered angrily. "I did the best I could with what I had to work with!"

"Whoa, that's quite the summer get-up you've got going there," Lucas said knowingly as he walked into the room, mercifully having the decency not to laugh. "Sure you don't wanna borrow _my_ clothes?"

Weavile immediately shut up when it saw what Lucas was wearing. With a black top with short sleeves of white, blue jeans, a yellow backpack and red sneakers, hat and of course the scarf, he looked the splitting image of his younger self. He even had the smile.

The smile that Weavile had waited far too long to see again.

"Weavile!" The Sharp Claw Pokémon exclaimed, thrusting its right claw into the air in utmost approval.

"Weavile, go get that jar of Tamato berry relish out of the fridge. We're not leaving without it," Lucas told his Pokémon as he walked past, dialling some commands into the blue Pokétch he now wore on his left wrist.

"W-Weavile?" Weavile stammered, hardly daring to believe it, the Pokémon's eyes wide.

"What, you think I clipped all these Pokéballs to my belt for the fashion statement? Come on, we gotta hit the road while the weather's good!" the young man said enthusiastically, breaking out into a huge grin, with said grin fading abruptly to be replaced with a pained expression and a loud exclamation to match as Weavile leapt at him, knocking the boy to the floor in an overjoyed hug. Lucas laughed at the Dark/Ice type's display of emotion, tussling the fur on the back of the Pokémon's head. "Yeah, I know, it's been a while, and I know I've got my work cut out for me, bringing five other Pokémon out of retirement on top of dealing with an overenthusiastic Weavile, but hey, what's an adventure without a few challenges, right? Okay, you can let go now!" he exclaimed with a laugh. "No, seriously, your claws are digging into my… Yeah, that's better," he said as Weavile released him.

"A boy and his Pokémon. Quite a sight, huh, Lucario?" Maylene said as she walked over and placed an arm around her own Pokémon. Lucario let out a cough-like grunt and smiled, watching along with its Trainer as Lucas got to his feet, Weavile quickly moving to stand at the young man's side.

"Now, before anything else, we gotta make one stop for the night, and it's a big one," Lucas said, shifting the weight of his backpack as he spoke. He exhaled deeply. "I've been putting this off for a while, but… I think it's time."

Weavile, knowing what its master was getting at, put a comforting clawed appendage on the side of Lucas' leg.

"Thanks, buddy," Lucas said as he turned to glance at Maylene. "Maylene, thanks. For everything," he said sincerely. "Good luck with Candice. Give her my best." He started towards the double doors. "Oh, and one more thing," he added, stopping and turning to look back at her with a cheeky smile, "That headband is so you."

It was Maylene's turn to tackle Lucas to the floor with semi-serious fury. "I'll show you what's 'me'!" she declared, starting to vigorously tickle the boy's ribs. Lucas laughed, but it was more due to amusement at the Gym Leader's reaction than the tickling she was subjecting him to.

"Uh, Weavile? Little help, please?" Lucas said between chuckles.

"Vile," Weavile said nonchalantly, turning a blind eye to its master's plight, a sly smirk on the Sharp Claw Pokémon's face.

"Traitor!" Lucas called jokingly as Maylene continued to tickle him.

* * *

Twinleaf Town was peaceful as the sun set overhead, the wild Starly ceasing their warbling as they took roost for the evening. The only sound to break the blissful silence was someone knocking on the door of the southmost house.

Johanna opened the front door of her home, smiling when she saw who awaited on the doorstep. "Oh, hello, Dawn. Come on in," she said cheerfully.

The young woman who served as Professor Rowan's dedicated assistant removed her time-ravaged white beanie as she stepped inside, her flowing blue hair far longer than it had been in her youth, now reaching far down behind her at a length that would rival Champion Cynthia's. Her old black and pink top had long since been replaced by a white lab coat, a pair of blue-rimmed half-moon glasses resting on her nose. She wore professional-looking black jeans. All that remained to resemble her childhood attire was a pair of bright pink boots, albeit a larger and more stylish pair than those from her youth.

"Sorry to bother you, Johanna, but—" Dawn started.

"Dawn, dear, you could never bother me. It's always delightful to see you," Johanna assured her as she walked into the kitchen and put the kettle on. "Cup of tea?"

"Please," Dawn said as she took a seat on the couch, careful not to sit on the Glameow that was curled up on the cushion. The Normal type Pokémon looked up at the visitor and mewed in greeting, prompting Dawn to scratch the feline behind the ears, smiling down at it.

A few short minutes later, Johanna came back into the living room with a drinks tray lined with two mugs of milky tea and several Shalour Sable shortbread biscuits. Dawn took one of the biscuits and dunked it in her tea, only for the snack to break in two, half of it falling into the hot liquid. She stared at it with visible irritation for a moment… and then she and Johanna both burst out laughing.

"Isn't that always the way?" Johanna asked, chortling. "Just when you're relaxed, your biscuit decides to go for a swim!"

Dawn set her mug down on the table, mirth still present on her face. "No need to worry - I like them soggy," she said, prompting another bout of laughter from both women.

"So, what brings you back to my humble abode, aside from the top quality biscuits?" Johanna asked half-jokingly as the pair settled down. "Did Professor Rowan send you round to check up on me? Bless him, he's a real sweetheart under that serious exterior."

"Actually, I just wanted to know if you've heard from… Well… I mean, I wouldn't bring it up at all, except that Barry's in my face about it every time he calls me. 'You tell Lucas that if he doesn't go home and visit his Mom, I'm gonna give him such a fine!'" Dawn declared, doing her best imitation of Barry's voice.

Johanna chuckled, taking a sip of her tea before responding. "Sounds like Barry alright. That boy's got his heart in the right place, but sometimes I think that mouth of his needs a little reining in. As it happens, your timing is almost impeccable, Dawn. I say almost because you actually just missed Lucas by a few minutes."

Dawn almost dropped her teacup in disbelieving shock. "He… He finally came home?!" She asked in amazement.

Johanna smiled knowingly. "Don't look so surprised, my dear. For all that's happened in the last few years, he's still my son, and my son is a good boy at heart," she stated without a hint of doubt. "And just between you and me, I knew that he wouldn't be able to stay away from his mother's home cooking forever. You should've seen his face when I put a bowl of his very favourite stew down in front of him. His eyes nearly fell out of his head!"

Dawn smiled at that. "So he told you why he spent so long away, then?" She asked.

"Oh, I know why he didn't come home for so long," Johanna assured her. "I always knew, He thought I didn't know, but I did. He made some mistakes and exiled himself from his home out of shame, feeling that he wasn't worthy of his own mother's love. Nonsense!" she cried, making Dawn jump slightly. "As if I could ever be ashamed of my only son, and I told him that when he was here earlier. I told him that no matter what happens, I will always love him, and he should never, _ever_ be ashamed to show his handsome face around here, and if I may say so, he _has_ become quite the handsome young man, and from what he told me about his life over the past handful of years, he's still single," she concluded, giving Dawn a playful nudge.

"Johanna!" Dawn exclaimed, her cheeks flushing bright red. Johanna laughed.

"I'm just teasing, dear!" she assured her guest. "Still, the young man who earns your hand in marriage will be one lucky lad, if you don't mind me saying so. And if it should somehow come down to a contest between Lucas and Barry, well…" Johanna raised and lowered her eyebrows playfully, "I think you can guess which side I'm rooting for."

"Johanna!"

"Okay, okay, I'll stop!" Johanna said, laughing. "You know I only tease you three like this because you always made a good team. You aways had each others' backs growing up, and I know that regardless of whomever you all end up marrying, you'll all still be true friends far into the future, and between you and Barry, I can't imagine better friends for that boy of mine."

"Mm. I appreciate that, Johanna," Dawn told her, picking up a fresh biscuit and biting into it. She chewed with her mouth closed and swallowed before continuing. "So where is Lucas now?"

"Oh, he'll be back in a little while. He went over to Sandgem Town to pick up some bread and milk. If you want to wait—"

"Johanna, you couldn't _throw_ me out of this house now that I know one of my best friends is back in the neighbourhood," Dawn stated boldly. There was an awkward pause before she let out a mad giggle. "Wow, that was blunt of me!" she exclaimed, grinning.

"Blunt? I'd say it was razor sharp!" Johanna responded. The pair laughed.

"It's so nice to sit down and chat like this," Dawn said, setting her teacup down, a little tea and some soggy biscuit pieces in the bottom of it.

"Isn't it just?" Johanna said, nodding in agreement. "How's Professor Rowan?"

"Remarkably active for someone who's confined to a wheelchair these days. That reminds me - his 70th birthday is next month. Any chance you'd like to—?"

"I'll be there with bells on," Johanna said proudly, and I'll talk with Barry's Mom to make sure that _both_ of our respective boys get him a thoughtful present."

Dawn smiled. "Those boys really are quite a pair, aren't they? Lucas and Barry… Twinleaf Town is _much_ too quiet without them."

"Too true," Johanna said, again nodding in agreement. "Sometimes I open the front door to go for a walk and instinctively take a hurried step back lest I should get trampled in the rush of those two unceremoniously charging in, dirt all over their faces and eager for a good home cooked meal." She chuckled. "Old habits die hard."

"Speaking of home cooked meals, biscuits are always a nice treat, Johanna, but I would honestly love to try some of your home cooked stew sometime. I remember once, Barry was talking to me about your cooking and he had the most spaced out, dreamy look on his face. He said that your cooking was second only to his own mother's, and I'm pretty sure that's the highest praise a feisty young boy can give."

"Well, cheers to that, "Johanna said, chuckling. "As it happens, I plan to get another pot of stew going shortly for when Lucas gets back. You're more than welcome to stay for dinner if you'd like."

Dawn smiled. "Johanna you're too good to Lucas, Barry and myself. You know that, right?"

"Speaking of Barry, see if you can get him on the phone. As long as I'm cooking for _two_ of my favourite grown up kids…" She trailed off, smiling knowingly at Dawn.

"Again, you're too good to us, Johanna," Dawn said as she pulled out her PokéGear and flipped it open, soon locating Barry's name on her list of registered contacts.

 **End**

* * *

 **And there it is, folks - my longest and most ambitious fanfic ever. What did you think? Was it zany enough for you? Sinnoh ten years into the future... If only we had that in the form of a game. Know what I'm saying? (Seriously, where is my DP remake, GameFreak?!)**

 **I should mention that I do have plans for a sequel, but it might be a while before I get it started. Anyway, leave your thoughts in the reviews and I'll see you later. Remember, gotta catch 'em all!**


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